In Living Color
by darkmystress00
Summary: Everyone knew the world was black and white. Colors were just a thing from long told myths about soulmates and destiny. But what happens when a mysterious group shows up to the farm and Beth starts seeing colors? Daryl Dixon wasn't looking for a soulmate. Nor did he really want one. This world was messed up enough without having to worry about loving someone.
1. Chapter 1

Beth flipped back her frilly gray comforter, as she sat up in her bed. She looked around her room at the muted grays and versions of black and white and sighed. Same as always. She swung her legs over the side of her bed, her feet landing on the soft ebony rug that was near her shiny silver bed. She heard familiar calling and shouting outside and peeked her head out her window.

Her daddy was out in the field and she took a moment to enjoy the beauty of the scenery. The way the grass moved in the wind made it look like her father was walking through waves upon waves of soft silvery water. Beth sighed. What she wouldn't give to see the soft golds and greens that were supposed to belong to the plants around the farm. Her daddy used to tell her stories of the beautiful colors of the flowers back when she was little. Back when her mama was alive. Back when her daddy and her mama both could see colors.

Everyone knew the world was black and white. Colors were just a thing from long told myths about soulmates and destiny. Or that was what Beth had been told by her older sister, Maggie, when she'd been in a huff and looking to make someone mad. Beth had been four at the time, and had been crushed. She'd run crying straight to her daddy, and Hershel had scooped her up and held her close and told her all about the beautiful reds of the apples, and the deep greens of the pine trees. Beth had always loved hearing her daddy talk about the pretty reds and pinks of the flowers and fruits, but her favorite story (the story she could recite from memory even now at the age of seventeen) was the story of the blue, blue sky.

" _Daddy…will I ever get to see color?" She'd ask every night as he tucked her little self in for bed._

" _When you find the other half of your soul." Daddy would always reply._

" _Like Mama is your other half?" He'd smiled down at her and nodded._

" _Just like that sweetheart."_

" _I can't wait. I wanna share the colors with you…"_

" _You will sweetie. You will."_

That had been before Mama had died, and Daddy's colors had disappeared. That was something the myths didn't tell you. When you met your soul mate, you got to see colors, but when they died…so did the colors. As if losing your other half wasn't sad enough, the dying of the colors would make Beth want to crawl in a hole and forget the world. She couldn't imagine losing something so beautiful as the deep brown of their piano (her daddy had always said it was a deep brown tinged with reds that made the old wood seem almost warm to the touch.) Beth just saw black.

Beth blinked as the warm sunlight hit her face and she smiled, soaking in the warmth.

"Bethy…get down here. We need you t'help with the horses. They're gettin' skittish. I think there might be some walkers in the woods." Beth sighed and gave a quick nod.

"I'll be right down." With that she turned and made her way to her dresser to get dressed.

It was shortly after Beth had learned about colors that the world seemed to go topsy turvy. She'd been eleven when she'd seen her first walker. At first everyone had thought it was just some virus and that people were just sick. By the time everyone had figured out this was something different; something serious, most of the world was ambling around as a lifeless corpse, wanting to eat anything that wasn't dead and decomposing.

Beth's dad had sat her down and explained (at first) that the people she saw in the woods were sick, and while they might not want to, they would hurt her if she got too near them (she was eleven after all, and the alternative was a bit garish for her little mind). When she'd been a bit older the world had come crashing down on the Greene household. Her mother, Annette had been out in the woods, searching for a calf that had escaped the fence, when she'd gotten bitten. She'd made it home, but had been in bad shape. They'd tucked her in bed, wrapped her arm and prayed. The fever, in the end, had taken her. Hershel had known the minute she'd gone. The blue and white handkerchief he'd had in his hands, smudged with red blood (turning brown with age) had turned black and white in the blink of an eye.

Maggie had taken Beth to her room where they'd cried while Hershel dealt with the remains of his once beloved wife. Beth had gone to bed that night promising her little fifteen year old self, that she was never falling in love. Losing someone in this kind of world was just too damn painful, colors or not.

That was how she found herself seventeen years old, helping out on her daddy's farm, still no colors to be seen, and content with life as it stood. She pulled on a shirt, vaguely wondered what color it might be if she could see them, and then made her way downstairs. She pushed the squeaky screen door open, and made her way down the front steps, her soft boots thunking against the hardwood. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she made her way across the field towards the old barn. She smiled as she looked up at it. Her daddy had built it for her mama when she'd been itty bitty, simply for the reason that her mama loved horses and they'd had no where to put any.

"Mornin' Daddy," She said as she entered the barn, walking up to the old man and giving him a gentle hug.

"Mornin', Bethy," He gave her a gentle squeeze. "I'm gonna need you to feed and pat down the horses. They're gettin' skittish and whinin'." He turned and picked up his pitch fork to start spreading the fresh hay along the floor of the first stable stall. "Maggie's cleanin' out the stalls, and I'm gonna' lay fresh hay. Hopefully we can get them quiet so they don't draw too much attention from them things walkin' the forest." He swiped some sweat off his brow. "This barn is good, but old. Too many of 'em and they'll bring it down to the ground." Beth nodded. He'd been telling her that since she was old enough to help with the horses when they worried.

She didn't know what it was about the horses. They could sense when there were more walkers in the woods around them than there normally were. It was like they could sense the danger, or maybe smell the rot of the corpses. Either way, it was helpful. The Greene family always knew when to bed down the horses, lock them up tight, and then hold up in the farmhouse for the night.

Beth picked up the canister of oats and horse feed by the big door of the barn and moved swiftly to the other stalls that had yet to be shucked out and relaid. She filled the bowls of the two horses still in their stalls. "You want me to use the feedin' muzzles for the two out of their stalls?" She called over her shoulder as she fetched said contraptions from their pegs hanging on the wall.

"Yeah. It's gonna take a me a few minutes to clean out the second stall and for Daddy to relay the hay," Maggie supplied.

Beth nodded and pulled down first one muzzle and then the other. She filled the little baskets up with feed and then gently pulled them over the heads of the horses. She adjusted one that was a tad loose and then patted the horse's neck fondly. The family had four horses, one for each of them and one that was her mother's before she had passed (it now technically belonged to Shawn, but he rarely liked to ride it.) The mare neighed softly and nudged her arm before contently munching on the oats and feed in its muzzle.

"I'll give you a bit more when your stall is all cleaned out," She said softly before picking up the brush and slipping it onto her hand. She started with her mama's (Shawn's) mare humming lightly as she worked and listened to her sister and daddy work. "So where is Shawn anyway?"

"Out huntin' and scouting the woods. Thinks he might be able to put down the walkers makin' the horses antsy," Maggie answered. She stood, arm propped up on the push broom she was using and then wiped her brow. "Don't know why he bothers. We've been fine lockin' everythin' up and hol'ing up in the house,but you know Shawn." She said with a smile. Beth nodded. She did know Shawn. From the time Daddy had taught him how to shoot he'd been rip roaring and ready to haul off into the woods and take down every walker he came across. He harbored a hatred so deep for the walkers because he knew that they were the things that had taken his mama away. His anger and hatred had seen him treed a couple times by a small herd, and Hershel had had to go out and rescue him. Hershel didn't like Shawn going out there, but figured it was better than having him causing a ruckus at the farm.

Beth secretly wondered if Shawn had been more devastated by their mother's death than anyone else. Something in him had seemed to snap, and he'd never been the same. Beth had watched the darkness grow in the back of his eyes and had stopped protesting when she caught him going out into the woods with their daddy's rifle (even after Hershel had told him not to.) She'd also started praying extra hard that God would bring him peace before he found himself hurt, because she had a sinking feeling he wouldn't be happy until he'd passed the point of no return. She didn't think she could handle having to bury her older brother at this point in her life…but with each passing day it seemed like he was standing with one foot firmly in the grave, and there was nothing Beth could do about it.

She sighed, turning her thoughts decidedly away from her brother. It wasn't something she was able to change and thinking about it just hurt her heart and made her feel helpless. She untethered Shawn's mare and led it into the stall that her father had just finished before turning and moving to the second horse. This horse (while still gray) was a light shade of gray, making Beth wonder if it was a light golden color much like the wheat they harvested once a year. A shot sounded and for a second the three Greenes stopped and listened. "Shawn musta found somethin'." Maggie said quickly when no other sound was heard after. She shrugged before sweeping the old hay completely out of the stall and to the front door, continuing on with her work.

"Dad!" A sharp cry pierced the peace in the barn and all three froze, their eyes intensely focused on one another. Maggie pushed the broom down, taking off in a run towards the front of the barn. Hershel shoved the rest of the fresh hay into the open stall, while Beth untether the horse before placing it into its stall. She latched it and followed quickly behind her father who was hot on Maggie's heels. All three exited the barn in time to see Shawn, running full tilt from the woods. "Dad!" He yelled again, his arms swinging wildly above his head. "Come quick!" One survey of Shawn's person had Beth's heart in her throat. He was covered in dark smudges of what she knew in her heart of hearts to be blood. From where she stood she couldn't tell if it was his or not, but she sent up a silent prayer hoping that it wasn't his.

She knew the second Shawn realized he had everyone's attention. He skidded to a stop just outside the fence and turned around, motioning with his arms for everyone to hurry up and that they were needed. Beth didn't even realize she was running until she was crouching through the wood beams lined with barbed wire that made up their fence. She dodged around the large stakes placed in the ground that often caught a walker or two before they could hit the fence and get ripped apart by the wire. Her heart was hammering in her chest as she tried to catch up, passing her daddy long before she'd even reached the fence. Her breath was slamming in and out of her chest as the fear bubbled up inside her.

"Shawn what happened?" She called out between gasping breaths as she jumped over logs and low lying shrubs. Maggie was ahead of her, but still behind Shawn.

"I fucked up Bethy." Was all she heard. Shawn's voice had never sounded like that. So scared, and vulnerable and sick. She'd also never heard him curse a day in her life. Those facts coupled with the alarming amount of blood on his shirt made her stomach pitch and she fought the feeling of nausea that hit her. She saw Shawn skid to a halt next to a group of people all crouched around something, but was still too far away to make out anything other than the fact that these people weren't walkers. She watched as Maggie dropped down and almost sighed at the relief that she was almost there. She had eyes only for the huddled group of people that her brother and sister were trying to help. She wasn't paying attention to anything else, just trying to get to the people to help (her mama had always taught her to help everyone you could).

Pain ricocheted through her shoulder as she tumbled to the ground. With a yelp she landed in a heap as something solid and definitely rotten smelling collided with her and followed her down to the earth. She scratched and clawed, her arms out in front of her as she tried to fight off the walker now snapping his rotten jaws in her face. She let out another shriek before she felt someone lift the weight away and saw her father. Shawn sank a knife into the skull of the walker and Beth tried to calm her breathing. She'd never come that close to a walker before and all the fear and adrenaline was making her dizzy. She rolled onto her side, eyes squeezed shut as she tried to calm down. She heard mumbles and murmurs, and worried words that floated around her mind. If she concentrated she was sure she'd know what they were saying; what had been so important for Shawn to come fetch them all in a way that had them all scared to death. She took half a steadying breath before shoving herself up into a sitting position and then she froze.

The sound of her heartbeat in her ears was deafening and it felt like she had cotton shoved inside her ears, but she knew that sound of gurgling moaning and groaning anywhere. Her eyes slammed open. "There's more comin' we gotta go." She cried, pushing herself to her knees. Her eyes flew to Maggie and she thanked God that her sister could see the very real fear buried in those glassy depths. "I can hear 'em. We gotta go!" She yelled again, not caring if she attracted more of them. They were already on their way, she wasn't going to bring anymore. She shoved against the ground, her chest still heaving as she watched the group of strangers before her.

For the second time in her life, Beth's world seemed to go topsy turvy as she surveyed the group. She couldn't put her finger on what was different until she saw the bright blossoming of red on the front of a young boys shirt, and Beth knew. Beth wobbled where she stood, her arm shooting out to the tree next to her, while she said a silent prayer that she would stay standing.

For the first time in Beth's life…at seventeen years old…Beth was seeing color. And it scared the living hell out of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl held his crossbow up, staring down the sight at the underbrush. He was tracking something big enough to feed the whole group until they could hopefully find a new place to hunker down. He could hear the brush rustling close, and he knew he was about to land his catch. Taking a knee, he stared down the sight breathing out silently to steady his shot. A fox slinked through the underbrush, crunching lightly on the leaves as it moved through the grays and silvers of the forest. Daryl's finger tightened on the trigger.

A loud rifle blast broke the trans-like silence and the bolt flew into the open air to pierce the ground just where the fox had been. He watched as the fox's hind end pushed through a low growing bush and cursed to himself. With a growl he stood up and slung his crossbow over his shoulder. The sun shone brightly in his eyes as he quickly surveyed the area around him—still the same silvers and varying shades of grays. With a swipe to his hair and a smudge of dirt to his cheek he started back in the direction he'd left the group. Something struck him that made his heart beat a bit faster. No one in the group was hunting with a rifle that would make that loud of a bang. "Shit." This was someone not in their group. He turned on his heel and bolted towards where that blast had sounded.

As he broke the tree line into a small clearing his blood ran cold. Shane and Rick were crouched around the small body (he could only assume was Carl) and there was dark blood oozing from the front of his shirt. A kid with a rifle ran towards them and, for a second, Daryl debated whether or not to pull his crossbow until he saw the kid (well, not really a kid. The guy was in his twenties at least) drop his gun and drop next to Carl. He was babbling something, but the blood rushing through Daryl's ears made it difficult to hear. He watched as Shane grabbed the punk by the front of the shirt and snarled at him. A handgun found its way jammed into the kid's cheek. "Shane…" Daryl's eyes darted back to Rick and, for the first time in a long time, Daryl saw something desperate in his eyes.

Daryl found himself crouched next to Carl, his grungy gray plaid balled up and pressed against this kid's bleeding stomach. Both Rick and Shane turned and helped apply pressure.

"Dad…" Carl wheezed.

"Don't talk, Carl. You're gonna be fine."

"Dad…"

"Listen to your dad, Champ. Help is on the way," Shane's voice was strained with anger and fear, but only Daryl would really notice. Daryl's head jerked as he picked up on the pounding of footsteps. It sounded like a pack of elephants. Daryl worried it might be the pack of walkers, but the rhythm of it was all wrong. The snapping of branches, the thundering of the footfalls was too methodical. They were too even and hard to be the mindless ambling of the dead. A quick glance over his shoulder saw that punk kid running back with people following him. He didn't bother to watch further, too worried about Carl bleeding out to give a rat's ass who else was here. He heard a woman's voice he didn't recognize talking about things they were going to need if they had any hope of fixing this kid up.

A loud girly shriek and a thump made the group jerk and watch what was unfolding. Daryl watched as the woman he'd heard talking about the needed supplies and the punk kid who had shot Carl moved as swift as lightning to help someone struggling under a walker. He glanced back down to Carl as he heard the telltale sound of a knife sinking into the skull of something dead. He looked back and choked on his own breath. Standing before him were four people bathed in a wash of absolute color. Daryl felt his heart thump heavily in his chest as he noticed that all the silvers and grays of the forest had been turned into the prettiest browns and greens he'd ever seen. His mind raced as he tried to take in everything he was seeing. Sure, he'd heard the stories as a kid, but, being a Dixon, he'd always just assumed that he'd never get a soulmate. Colors and happiness were a little out of a Dixon's league, but here he was seeing greens, and yellows, and varying shades of brown. He wanted to grit his teeth and cuss up a storm.

The world was in the shitter and now he had to worry about some woman being able to take care of herself and keeping herself alive. As if he didn't have enough to worry about. Daryl Dixon wasn't under the delusion that he and his soulmate were going to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after. He was an ass. He was gruff and grumpy, and solitary, and honestly he liked it that way. There wasn't a single thing in the world that was going to make him change his mind. His eyes darted back down to Carl who groaned from where he was laying, bring Daryl out of his silent revelation. He looked at the newcomers, studying them, noticing all the new colors that arrived when they entered his field of vision.

The punk kid and the woman who'd been crouched down next to the rest of the group had dark brown hair, but the girl laying on the ground, eyes closed, had the prettiest golden hair he'd ever seen. And the old man he hadn't seen run up was sporting wintery white hair (not that that was a new color for him.) He looked away and noticed the bright red of the blood now covering him, the punk, Rick and Shane. The kid was in bad shape, and he was about to pipe up and say something until he heard the soft voice of the blond girl ring out into the clearing.

"There's more comin' we gotta go," she said.

Daryl chanced a glance and saw she'd pushed herself up on her knees. "I can hear 'em. We gotta go!" He watched her as she pushed herself to her feet and turned towards an older man that had come up unannounced during the struggle with the first walker that had taken her down.

With a growl he listened and he could hear it too: the low moaning and gurgling of a group of walkers. The snapping of branches was aimless and random, but definitely getting louder. "We gotta move." He rumbled out. Without preamble he scooped up Carl and looked at the group.

"This way," The brunette woman said quickly and looked to the old man, probably their father. "Let's get to the farm. Daddy has most of the supplies we'll need back there." They heard Shane start to protest, but the woman cut him off before he could even get a full word out. "He can help," She pleaded.

Another walker let out a gurgling moan close behind, and that put an end to the argument. They were all following behind the patriarch, weaving through the woods until they came across the fences built to protect the farm. He watched silently as the blonde took off running towards the big barn, a greying-red from age, but then his eyes were on the rest of the family. They led everyone into a big white farm house and moved Daryl, still clutching a deathly pale Carl in his arms, to a spare bedroom just off the stairs.

Daryl placed Carl in the center of the bed, on top of the frilly quilted comforter that contained too many colors for Daryl's mind to process. The graying old man leaned over him, calling out to his daughter. "Maggie, get my bag. He's gonna need some stitches." He looked up at Daryl. "Help me roll him on his side, I gotta see if the bullet came out the other side." With a grunt Daryl gripped Carl's shoulder and slowly rolled him onto his side. "Passed clean through, and it ain't so far into his belly to hit anything major." He felt the old man shift off the bed before quickly returning with a clean rag that he pressed against Carl's back to staunch the bleeding. "He'll need stitches and some antibiotics, but he'll be fine." That made Daryl's heart beat a little easier. He looked up, searching out Rick and saw the man breathe a deep breath of relief before everything seemed to go deathly quiet. That was when the whole group heard it. The sick moans and groans of the walkers. More than before. More than anyone thought. They weren't close to the house (no doubt stopped by the fences on the border of the property), but the noise they were making would surely draw more and those fences could only hold back so many.

"Rick, gotta go take care of those walkers," Daryl started. He didn't need to finish his sentence.

"Go. Thanks, Daryl." Rick took his place next to the old man to tend to his son.

Daryl cast one final glance at the the pair as they worked over Carl before heading out to go take down the walkers before the place became overrun. He found the trio (that's what he was going to call them until he got some damn names) already out at the fence, taking down walkers. He wanted to groan at the sight of them. They weren't horrible, but he could tell they weren't well trained with their respective weapons, and the weapons they were using were extremely flimsy and not strong weapons at all. They were using kitchen knives for god's sake! They were more likely to do themselves damage with their clumsy attempts rather than make any kind of leeway with the horde. Sudden anger bubbled up inside him. These pathetic, weak human beings had managed to survive this long, but others from his group, others who had been decidedly stronger and better versed in protecting themselves, had died. It wasn't fair. But then again Daryl knew life wasn't always fair. In fact, from his perspective, life was never really fair; it was all about how you took the shit flung at you.

With a tight fist he gripped the handle of his hunting knife and pulled it from its sheath. Without a word to the three, he sunk the cool metal blade deep into the skull of a walker in front of him that was stuck and mangled against the fence. With a jerk from his arm and a wet squelch, his knife was free and, before he could think too much about it, he was sinking it into the head of another rotting walker. He noticed, from the corner of his eye, that the blonde streak of nothing paused to watch him for a moment. He could feel her eyes boring into him with interest but chose to ignore her. There was work to be done, and if she wanted to spend the time gawking at him, well it was her wasting her own damn time. Maybe she could learn a few things about how to kill these walking corpses.

Beth heard the sickly squish of a blade meeting its mark and knew, without a doubt, no one in her family knew how to wield a knife with that much power. Maggie, Shawn, and even her father had shallow sounding blows. She didn't know how to describe it, but the squish was always more high pitched. Like the blade was only barely meeting its mark and doing minimal damage. This sound, this squish, was a deep sound followed by the almost completely inaudible thump of the hilt meeting bone. She paused and watched. It was one of the strangers. The one who had carried the kid through the forest and into the house. She was momentarily dumbfounded as she watched him. He was strong, and he definitely knew how to handle his knife. For a brief instant she was embarrassed by her lack of skill and completely domestic weapon.

She watched as the muscles in his arms rippled and moved as he worked to sink his knife all the way into the skull. He was impressive. She noticed that most of his power came from his shoulder and biceps. He was able to put more weight behind his swing that way. When he stopped to cast her a sideways glare she turned, cheeks flaming, and decided to try it his way. She gripped her knife tightly in her fist, raised it up and swung down from her shoulder, flexing her muscle as her arm swung down. The thick, wet sound was deeper. Her knife was buried three quarters of the way deep into the walker's head. With a vicious twist of her wrist she ripped the knife out and watched as the walker went limp and fell to the ground. She smiled to herself and then turned, freezing when she met the piercing blue eyes of the stranger. She felt her face flame red hot and looked down at her top, a pretty pale green now smattered with dark reddish brown spots of walker blood. She bit the inside of her lip and moved to the next walker before repeating the action. She breathed a pent up breath as she felt the stranger's eyes leave her. He was an imposing figure, and Beth wasn't one to feel intimidated. She raised her arm again and swung down, sinking deep. Each move got easier, and Beth was excited to have learned at least this little bit of knowledge to help make her stronger.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm Hershel Greene," Beth heard her daddy say as everyone settled into the living room of their big farm house. She hadn't expected there to be so many of the group of strangers. Apparently a few had been left back at their base camp while the original group had left, probably to scout out the area and find food.

"These are my children," She heard her daddy continue. "Shawn," She watched as Shawn ducked his head (he was suffering under a big weight of guilt for shooting the kid) and mumbled a quick sound of affirmation.

"Maggie," Maggie opted not to say anything. Beth glanced over at her and noticed she was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, and face set in a stern disapproving look that reminded her of their daddy something fierce.

"And my youngest, Beth." Beth's blue eyes darted from her sister to scan the group of people. In the chaos of what had been happening, Beth found herself able to almost completely forget about the colors. When she was sitting and the room was quiet, and she was able to really look at everything and everyone sitting before her. The colors seemed to almost scream at her. This group brought so many colors with them. Colors she'd never even imagined. Their patterned clothes, while muddied, were so filled with colors that she wanted to trace her fingers over them. Jeans so deep dark blue that she could almost mistake them for black. It made her head swim when she tried to think of the names for all the colors she was looking at on this group of people. She mumbled out her own 'hello' and raised her hand as one by one she felt everyone's eyes land on her and then drift away. She wanted to sigh.

She was used to it though.

Her older siblings often looked at her like she was insignificant when faced with a difficult task. She remembered the first time it happened. Shawn had been the first one to look at her like she was different; like she was _just a girl._ She'd been following him around wanting to play and he had been relentless in trying to get her gone. In the midst of her begging, he'd rounded on her, towering over her, and looked at her like she was beneath him." _You can't do this, Beth. You'll get dirty and then run away cryin' to Mama like always."_

She'd stopped and been filled with such a righteous fury it had made her little frame vibrate. She'd known his real excuse and had seen the snub for what it was. She was a girl and he didn't think she was tough enough. Before she could even count to ten, a tactic that her Mama had taught her to do when she got angry, she'd balled her little fist and plowed him straight in the nose. It had hurt like hell, but she'd made it all the way back to the farm house before she burst into tears. She'd been nine.

When it happened with Maggie it had been worse. Beth always envied Maggie and her looks. Maggie had the looks of a woman full grow—the fact that Maggie was full grown never really seemed to soothe the burn of envy within Beth. Beth still, at seventeen, was a little less than curvaceous. Maggie had been taking her out to try to teach her how to defend herself against the walkers, and Beth had been so excited. Beth wanted nothing more than to prove she wasn't just some prissy country bumpkin, and she wanted to prove to everyone that she could take care of herself. She wasn't helpless and useless. Maggie had handed her one of their big kitchen knives and watched as she took a swing at a walker that had gotten itself tangled on the fence. The look of utter dismay on Maggie's face had made Beth want to just crawl in a hole.

" _You're not cutting bread, Beth!" Maggie had snapped. "You gotta rip your arm down to get into the skull. Like this." Beth watched as Maggie slammed the knife down into another walker and sighed._

" _I'm tryin'." Beth had said quickly, before taking another swing and failing to replicate Maggie's motions._

" _I guess you're doing your best." Maggie had paused, "You should probably start helpin' Daddy in the barn. You ain't got no muscle to speak of, so I guess I shouldn't expect you to be able to do this right away."_

Beth had been crushed. She'd lifted her arm one more time, determined to show Maggie she could do this and defend herself. She wasn't useless. With all her might she'd pulled her arm down as quick as she could and managed to sink the blade in a decent amount. It hadn't helped. Maggie nodded as if to say 'that's a good start for a weakling.' and finished off with a quiet. "We'll keep practicing." Maggie never took her out again. In fact, any time a few walkers wound up at their fence, or managed to make it past their defenses she was immediately ushered into the farmhouse, albeit with much protesting, while someone else cleared the area. Yeah, Beth was used to people looking at her and thinking she was insignificant, and it drove her crazy.

"We're gonna need to get him some antibiotics and some painkillers," Hershel continued. "I can't keep knocking him out with what I got." The boy's dad nodded.

"We're willin' to make a run where ever there might be somethin' to help him," He looked at his group. "I'm Rick, this is my wife Lori." He motioned to the boy's mother. "My old partner Shane." Shane tipped his head and Beth felt her insides turn a bit cold. "Glenn, Carol, and Daryl." He pointed to each person he'd introduced.

"And Carl is the name of the kid you shot." Shane snipped out at the group, pinning Shawn with a dark angry glare. She noticed Shawn paled and looked down.

"You know he didn't mean to shoot him," Maggie blurted out, instantly on the defense. "He was tryin' to clear the woods of walkers. He heard somethin' and shot."

"Doesn't mean he ain't stupid, or the direct cause of all this."

"I know, but it ain't like he tried to kill him!" Maggie put her hands on her hips and took a step closer, as if getting closer might make her seem a little more imposing.

"Enough!" Hershel said sternly. He looked at Maggie. "They know Shawn wasn't tryin' to kill the boy. Now it's on us to help him and get the boy back to rights." Hershel turned beseeching eyes to Rick, knowing no one in his group would listen to a damn word he was saying if Rick didn't agree.

"He's right. We're all on edge, but the most important thing right now is making sure Carl gets everything he needs to recover," Rick gave Hershel a nod. They would have to work together. For a moment he looked around the room at his group, his eyes landing on each person individually.

Daryl watched the whole interaction silently from his spot, sprawled out on the floor, crossbow leaning casually against the wall behind him. He itched for a cigarette but somehow knew smoking inside the house wouldn't be looked at too kindly. He also itched to hit something, or someone, but knew that wasn't the right of it either. The past few hours had been some of the tensest he'd ever experienced. After the trio, with his help, had taken care of the small swarm of walkers outside, Shane had gone in search of the rest of their group. He didn't know what Shane had said to the group, but Lori had rushed in about ready to tear into everybody. The second she'd laid eyes on her son she'd burst into tears, cradled him close and refused to leave the bedroom. That had been a good couple hours ago. Carl was doing alright, sleeping peacefully (completely knocked out by some low-dosage tranquilizers until they could get some good pain meds) and all stitched up. That's honestly how they found themselves all sitting around the room in a circle, eyeing each other with distrust, trying to figure out who was going where to find the meds they would need.

"We're goin' to need a group to make the run." Rick started. Daryl met his eyes and knew without words that he'd be going. "I need someone to make that trip."

"I'll go." Shane said, his hard eyes still fixed on the kid (what was his name again? John? Shawn?) who had put them all in this predicament to begin with. Daryl could sympathize. He didn't much like Shane, at least not recently. Not since the CDC. He'd seemed to come unhinged after the safe-haven had proven not as safe as they had thought. The rage that Shane had flown into when they found the place burnt to a crisp and swarmed with walkers had been enough to make Daryl question his sanity. No he didn't much like him, but he could understand the anger flowing through him at Shawn.

Shawn had been the very essence of stupid. He'd shot first without seeing and damn near killed Carl. His only saving grace was that he was just a kid. Not even twenty, Daryl guessed now that he'd seen him up close and listened to him talk, and he wasn't really trained in anything except how to pull the damn trigger. Daryl knew this kid was bound to make mistakes. It was a shame, a damn shame, that he'd made a mistake that almost cost Carl his life, but he could be taught. They all needed to be trained and taught.

"I'll go too." Daryl's eyes jerked to see Shawn raise his hand determinedly. "It's my fault he's laid out. It's the least I can do to help, and I know exactly where we're goin'."

"I can't ask you to do that, son." Rick said solemnly.

"You aren't askin'. I'm volunteering," When Hershel stepped forward as if it protest, Shawn held up his hand. "No dad. I need to do this." He looked back to Rick. "I'll go out with Shane and find the medication and extra supplies we'll need to help Carl get better." Rick weighed the options before nodding slowly.

"Alright. You're gonna need to take another person."

"I'll go." Beth's soft voice floated through the room, drawing everyone's eyes to her. She stared at everyone. "I can do it."

"Now, Beth, honey…" Hershel started but was cut off by Maggie's concerned voice.

"You can't go Bethy. You'll get hurt. We need you here to help take care of Carl. Let someone else do it. You're better suited to be here." Beth bit her tongue, and resisted the urge to scream. She could do this.

Daryl stared at the little ball of blonde and pink and marveled. She was a spitfire, and judging by the angry snarl she had plastered on her little face, she was madder than hell. He had to agree with her older sister though. She wasn't trained well enough to go out on runs yet and she was a little slip of nothing. She would get herself hurt, or even killed, and then it would be a war.

"I'll go," Glenn finally said. Daryl turned his eyes to Glenn and watched as Rick gave a nod. That was it. The group was decided.

"Come on into the kitchen." Hershel called. "I got some maps and can explain where everything is so you can get there and get back. We're gonna need quite a few things and they're not all in the same locations," He watched as the trio moved off and disappeared into the kitchen. The little blonde stood, almost like sprung to her feet and marched towards the front door. He'd barely known her half a day and he could tell she was beyond pissed.

"Bethy," Maggie started as she caught her by the shoulders.

"Leave off, Maggie." Beth hissed. "I'm just goin' outside. Can't get hurt out in the barn," without waiting to hear a response she stomped her way out the front door and down to the big red barn.

Daryl watched as everyone slowly dissipated from the room leaving him alone. He took a good long minute to look around. Daryl Dixon wasn't one to be impressed or awestruck by much, but all the colors now floating before his very eyes were enough to make him pause. He'd heard all the rumors and stories about colors. Never once in his life did he dream he'd ever get to see any of them, and now here he was, staring at an old wooden piano that had wood so rich it almost looked red. He stood and walked over to it, his dirty fingers gently stroking along the top of the rich wood. He looked over his shoulder and spotted a bunch of dried flowers, now slightly brown from being dried, but the reds and pinks were still vibrant enough to make him stare an extra minute at them. They must have been beautiful when they'd been alive.

With a sharp turn on his heel, he turned to the front door and made his way outside. He needed a smoke. He perched himself up on the white railing, pulling a cigarette from one of his pockets to let it dangle from the corner of his mouth. He fished around for the small book of matches he knew were around and then lit it. He took a long drag as he contemplated his new situation.

He'd found his other half—the person who was supposed to complete him. He'd found the person to bring color into his life. Yes, Daryl Dixon had laid eyes on his soul mate, but he had no idea who it was. Part of him wished these damn colors had never come along. He was perfectly happy with his muted grays and blacks and whites. All these blues, and greens, and pinks, and yellows (that damn blonde was poking around by the barn) were going to give him a headache, and he'd have to suffer the beauty of it in silence, because there was no way in hell anyone would want to share it with him. He took another drag and paused to weigh his options. The brunette seemed like the clear answer. She was strong. He wouldn't have to worry about her fending for herself out in the world. Sure she wasn't trained, but he could train her. Would train her. She was independent. She didn't need to be coddled or told what to do. She could do what she pleased when she pleased, and she was sure it would get done.

He was drawn from his thoughts as Beth walked out from the barn again, and he squinted at her. What if it was her? He had a sinking feeling in his stomach. It couldn't be her. She was weak, young, and she needed all the help in the world just to survive. She was sheltered, delicate, and vulnerable. She was his complete opposite. The only thing he could identify with was her spitfire nature, but even that was subdued like she'd been taught to hold her tongue. In a world like this one, she learned all the wrong things. No, it most definitely couldn't be her.

He heard the screen door whine as it opened and the scavenger group made their way out and down the stairs, followed by Rick, and the older sister, Maggie (damn he had to get better about remembering to use their names.) He watched as Maggie's eyes were drawn to Beth working out in the barn. "I should probably get out there and help her. Lord knows she'll be too sore tomorrow if she does it all by herself." Daryl felt a twinge. Maggie cut Beth down probably a lot more than she should. The girl deserved some credit. It was clear no one had ever taken her out to teach her how to defend herself. He'd seen the evidence of that when they'd all been out by the fence killing those walkers. But he'd felt her eyes watch him, and had noticed her technique, while still terribly lacking, had gotten a bit better. The girl was a quick study. She just needed someone to teach her.

"Maggie, you let your sister alone. You know she's down there fit to be tied, and you goin' down there is only goin' to make it worse. We're goin' to have extra people here so I need you to go check the food stores and see what we can stretch for dinner," Hershel spoke calmly from the other side of her. With a quick grumble Maggie disappeared back inside. "I'm sorry. My girls don't always get along, and listenin' to them bicker would just give me a headache," Daryl looked over at the old man. They shared a smile, or rather Hershel smiled, Daryl grunted and twitched one corner of his mouth. "I think we've had enough excitement for one day." Daryl nodded and watched as Hershel made his way back inside, leaving just him and Rick on that old white porch.

"Daryl," Rick stepped closer to him, dropping his voice down so their conversation was a bit more private. "Seeing as how we're gonna be stayin' here until Carl is back on his feet, I need somethin' from you."

"What you have in mind?" Daryl raised his eyebrow.

"We gotta show them the ropes. This farm is only gonna last so long, and if we don't show them how to take down walkers and properly hunt, this family won't make it," Daryl nodded. He had the same thoughts, but knew it was Rick's bleeding heart that led the man to ask for help. "I've seen enough death, put enough people down. I don't want that to happen to them."

"Okay, I can do that."

"But, we gotta do it discreetly. I get the sense Hershel ain't fond of the idea of his kin being too wise to the ways of the world. I don't want to step on any toes, but these kids gotta know how to take care of themselves. You know?"

"Yeah. I can do that. Ain't even gonna know it's happenin'," Rick nodded.

"Good man." He clapped his hand on his shoulder. "I think we should start tonight. Maybe with the girl? She seems to be the one everyone thinks needs the most sheltering," Daryl gave a snort.

"Ain't that the truth." He took another drag of his cigarette. "Yeah. I'll head on down to that red barn as soon as I finish." He puffed on the unfiltered cigarette again, noting that Rick's face turned puzzled.

"Red barn?" Daryl nearly choked on the smoke in his lungs.

"Yeah...I mean. I assume it's red. Ain't that what all the storybooks say and shit?" He watched Rick closely and nearly sighed when he nodded.

"Yeah." Their eyes found their way over to the barn where Daryl watched the little yellow and pink figure disappear and reappear as she worked, which appeared to be cleaning out the stables. Daryl stood, thunked down the white steps, dropped his cigarette butt into the dirt before crushing it with the heel of his shoe.

"Give me a signal if we're not back by the time someone gets curious." With that he marched his way across the field towards his first student.


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl watched silently from his position leaned against the entrance to the barn. He watched as the blonde girl pushed and moved the mounds of molded hay from one section to the next. He was awestruck by how strong she was. Those piles weren't small, and she was masterfully moving them around with little to no struggle. He could tell by the set of her shoulders as she worked that she was also pissed, not to mention she was muttering to herself in a way that he just knew spoke of anger. Suddenly she stopped what she was doing, rounded on him and pinned him with an angry glare. "Did they send you to check up on me? Scared I might get a splinter and die?"

"And if they did?" Daryl knew damn well no one had sent him to check up on her and make sure she was ok, but she didn't need to know that. Maybe all this anger would help her in learning how to train.

"I don't need your help." She moved the big push broom to the side and grabbed a pitchfork to start spreading new hay in the empty stable. "I don't want your help." She growled.

"Do you see me pickin' up a broom?" She stopped and glared at him. "I was wonderin' 'bout somethin'. How well do you know how to hunt?" He watched as he glare morphed to pure interest. "How 'bout takin' down walkers? You know much 'bout that?" She gave a small shake of her head. "You wanna learn?" He saw the gleam in her eye and knew she was hooked.

Beth felt her heart thump in her chest. This stranger was offering to teach her what no one else was going to. She didn't need to think about her answer. She wanted to jump right in, head first, and scream yes.

"Beth, daddy needs you in the house." Both sets of eyes flicked to Maggie coming up on the barn. Beth was rooted to the spot. "He needs some help settin' up some rooms for the rest of the group, and gettin' dinner started." Maggie pinned her with a hard look. "Go on. I'll finish down here." When Beth still refused to move. "Now, Beth. Don't make daddy do it all by himself." With a sigh Beth set the pitchfork down and moved to leave the barn. She bit the inside of her cheek, wanting to tell him that she most definitely wanted to learn, but knew Maggie would have none of it. She stomped her way out of the barn and up to the house, glowering all the way. She'd just have to find a way to tell him she wanted to learn when they were alone.

Daryl watched as pink and yellow walked away (dammit he needed to get better about their names) and Maggie filled his field of vision. She was taller than Beth, and her dark hair painted her a little more fierce than her younger counterpart. The look on her face made him want to laugh. She looked like she was trying to be intimidating, but it was failing miserably. "I need you to leave her alone." When he quirked his eyebrow at her she placed her hands on her hips and continued. "She ain't tough enough to play whatever game you're after." Daryl let out a snort. Maggie thought he was poaching Beth because he was interested in a quick lay. That was laughable. "What?"

"I ain't after your sister." He rumbled out the ludicrous idea, and felt his cheeks darken at the intimacy of the conversation.

"Good. I wont let anything happen to her. She's too precious to get hurt like that. Especially in a world like this." Daryl nodded. He didn't give two shits about her being precious or delicate. The girl needed to learn how to protect herself, but Daryl had a feeling there was going to be no way to ever get her alone to teach her. He'd have to change tactics. Maybe start with the older sister, that way when he was done with her and moved on to help the poor hapless brother she could work with the girl. "So what are you after then?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

"Nothin'. She seemed pissed when she came down here, I just wanted to make sure she didn't do anythin' stupid and get herself hurt." Maggie didn't seem like she was apt to believe him, but what other choice did she have. They stared at each other for a few heartbeats, sizing each other up. He needed to see if she'd be on board for learning how to hunt and better defend herself. "Where'd you learn to take down walkers?" She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Just sort of came natural." Daryl resisted the urge to snort at her. She acted like she was amazing at taking down a walker, and not that he was an expert, but he could definitely see some areas where she needed some help.

"You think you could help clear the area around the farm while they're out on that run?" He scratched the side of his neck quickly. "We don't have to go out far, just enough to keep the herd in the forest away from this place." She thought briefly.

"We can't go tonight." She mumbled quickly. "Daddy will be keepin' an eye on everyone tonight." She looked back up to the farm house. "Tomorrow would be better." He gave her a silent nod. She nodded before jerking her head back to the house. "I need to get back." She gave him a quick smile. "Thanks, for checkin' on her." He gave her a shrug and watched as she turned and made her way back to the house.

Beth yanked another blanket and sheet set out of their linen closet upstairs. Her blood was boiling through her veins. She'd come in from the barn a little spring in her step at the prospect of being taught how to defend herself, and it had immediately been squashed when her dad had dragged her into the kitchen, set her in front of all the fixings for their meal and informed her that she needed to 'stay away from the strangers' until he could figure out if they were safe. She knew Hershel Greene was protective, but she'd never really realized how protective he was until this moment. She knew she was never going to get close enough to anyone to let Daryl know her answer, much less get out anywhere where she could learn anything. It just wasn't fair.

She stomped down the stairs, carrying the bedding with her so she could set up some sleeping areas for their guests before she served the food. She noticed her sister was mysteriously absent and wanted to stomp her foot. Her sister was never under lock and key like she was. Beth sighed as she made her way into the living room and stopped when she saw Rick's wife sitting on their sofa, lost in thought. Beth took a moment to study her. She was strikingly beautiful, with her dark hair and slim features. She was sitting on the couch, a hand fidgeting with her hair and another on the delicate swell of her belly. Beth smiled. "I brought you some more blankets and sheets from upstairs so help make it a bit more comfortable down here." She gently laid the stack of linens on the sofa next to a startled Lori.

"Thank you. That's very kind of you. We've been sleeping in tents on the dirt, so just to be inside is a blessing in itself." Beth nodded.

"I bet that can't be comfortable. I'll go get some more pillows too. My Mama slept with a pillow between her legs the entire time she was pregnant with me, or so I'm told. I guess it helped with her back." She giggled nervously. She watched as Lori paled and turned wide eyes on her.

"Excuse me?"

"I just figured...because you're…" She stared blankly at the woman in front of her. "You _are_ pregnant, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Lori seemed panicked.

"I don't know. Just a lucky guess?" Beth started. "They don't know, do they?" Beth asked, jerking her head to signal the others in her group. She watched as Lori stood and started pacing, asking her head absently as an answer. "Oh, I didn't know. I won't say anythin'. Promise." Lori stopped and studied her.

"Thank you. I need to tell Rick, but, it just hasn't felt like the right time." Beth nodded.

"I understand. When it's right, you'll know." Beth smiled, "I bet Rick is gonna be so excited to find out he's gonna be a father again." When Lori visibly flinched Beth could have swallowed her tongue. She had no idea what had happened in their group before they'd wound up here, but every time she opened her mouth, she only seemed to make it worse. She needed to just stop talking and keep her head down. "I-I better go finish gettin' dinner ready." She started to back out of the room only to bump blindly into Rick. She blanched as she noticed he pinned her with a hard look when he saw how upset Lori was.

"Everythin' alright in here?"

"Yes, Rick. Everything is fine." Lori's voice floated through the air to soothe his ire. "Thanks for the blankets, Beth was it?"

"Yeah. No problem. If you need anything else, just ask. I'm gonna go finish dinner." And Beth made a hasty exit to escape into the kitchen. She let out a pent up sigh as she stirred the big pot of noodles and sauce. Dinner was ready, she just didn't want to have to walk back out there and face the awkwardness she'd just left. With slow hands she reached up to pull out all the plates they had and readied herself to call in the troupes for dinner. She heard someone make their way into the kitchen behind her and turned to spot Maggie.

"Hey, dinner ready?"

"Yeah." She snipped out, unable to hide the ire she was feeling.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothin'." She let out a breath. It was going to do no good to fight with her sister right now, even if she just wanted to yell at her and remind Maggie that she wasn't a child. Right now, she needed to play hostess, and make sure everyone got fed. She needed to make sure Carl was alright. She needed to play her part, no matter how much she didn't want to. "I'm just tired. It's been a long day." She answered. She saw Maggie nod. "Wanna go gather everyone while I get the plates all dished up?"

"Sure." Maggie leaned over and wrapped Beth in a quick hug. "Thank you, for doin' all this. Mama would have been proud to see you takin' care of everyone." Beth smiled and watched as Maggie left the room. Yeah, Mama would have been proud to see her taking care of everyone, but Beth couldn't help this deep yearning in her gut for something more. She didn't want to just take care of others, she wanted to be able to protect them and herself. She wasn't a child and she wasn't helpless, and she was damn sure going to prove it.

Daryl gripped his knife as he watched Maggie move through the trees, listening. So far she'd proved herself very capable. They'd snuck out just after dawn, like they'd done the past couple days, and worked quietly to continue clearing the surrounding forest area. He watched as she gripped the hilt of the hunting knife he'd given her for the morning and moved towards the distant groaning of a walker. When the walker ambled around a tree, and lunged toward her, he watched as she kicked out one of its legs and it tumbled to the ground.

"Don't forget, don't just slam your hand down. Use your shoulder and upper body to put some muscle behind it." He murmured and resisted the urge to smile as she sunk the borrowed blade down to the hilt in the rotten skull of the flesh eater. "Good."

"Didn't realize you were gradin' me." She said as she yanked the blade free and let the rotting body fall to the ground beneath.

"I'm not." He answered, "But it's always good to know you're doin' somethin' right." He shrugged. "You did that right." He noticed her arm was speckled with rotten brownish red blood. "You're gonna wanna wash that off b'fore we get back to the farm." He motioned to her arm and she grimaced, wiping them against the dark brown of her pants.

"I think we should turn back now. We've cleared quite a bit these past couple days, and I'm gonna be honest. Daddy's gettin' a bit suspicious." He gave her a silent nod.

"You lead the way." He motioned lazily with his hand in the general direction of the farm. She gave him a nod and turned on her heel, listening as he followed. "So, how has your family kept this place goin' for so long?"

"We work together. Shawn usually goes out and takes care of the walkers. I help when he needs me. Daddy takes care of the animals."

"And your sister?"

"Beth? She helps where she can. Mainly she just maintains the house." Daryl watched her closely, completely confused.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, why?" Maggie halted and narrowed her eyes at him. "She can't do much else. She helps with the animals where she can."

"Why doesn't she help with walkers like you and your brother?" They continued walking. "I mean, if anything ever happened to you guys she'd need to know how to take care of herself." Maggie let out a small laugh.

"Beth is very special. Mama always called her the family ray of sunshine. Daddy made sure that sunshine stayed very protected."

"And no one thought maybe in this world she should learn how to protect herself?"

"I took her out a couple times, but she just seemed so much more likely to hurt herself." Maggie shrugged. "As long as the farm is here, she's safe. That's what matters." Daryl felt his gut twist. It seemed no one thought Beth could take care of herself. He'd never seen someone who was so sheltered, and currently he wondered why. She was small in stature and that could be a hinderance, but he didn't think it could really cause _that much_ of a hinderance. They broke the tree line and made their way over the fence into the field separating the forest from the farm. He took a moment to soak in the colors around him. "The others must be back. Daddy's truck is back." Maggie commented, tucking the knife in the back of her pants hem, concealing it under her shirt. They heard shouting and it made their steps quicken.

"No!" They watched as Beth (a blur of blonde and green) raced out the front screen door and bound down the stairs towards the truck. Both of them broke into a sprint. She flung open the passenger door and peered inside, yelling a loud, "No!" They reached the truck just in time to see her slam the door shut. The rest of the group followed out of the house, and Daryl noticed both Glenn and Shane were standing on the porch looking anxious. Hershel darted down the stairs and wrapped Beth in a tight hug as she crumbled to her knees. "No!" She yelled, batting his hands away. Daryl stood in stunned silence as the blonde broke before him. She cried. He'd never seen someone so distraught.

"Beth." Maggie soothed as she approached the crying girl. Her blue eyes darted up, angry, and she flung herself to her feet. Daryl caught himself reaching for her as she tried to pass him, anger making her steps purposeful.

"You did it on purpose!" She yelled, dodging hands as she made her way towards Shane. She was blinded by anger and fully intended to clock him a good one. "You did it on purpose. You were angry that he made a mistake and shot Carl, so you went and tried to get even. Didn't you?" She shrieked. Her arm came up and she let it fly but was surprised to feel a soft hand gripping her wrist. "Let me go Maggie." She cried as Maggie tugged her arm back to her side. "He deserves it! You did it on purpose." She lunged again. "You let him die!"

Daryl's eyes widened as her words started to click. "What happened?" His voice rumbled. She whipped around to stare at him frantic anger still clawing its way through her.

"He killed him!" She cried. "He did it on purpose, and he let him die!" Daryl looked to Shane who stood behind the whole scene, looking unaffected.

"What?"

"Shawn's gone!" She cried again. "And he killed him!"


	5. Chapter 5

Beth huffed, breathing deeply in her anger, as she slapped some low-hanging branches away from her face. She stared around at the scenery, taking in the browns and greens that seemed so vibrant in her rage. She needed to calm down. She needed to get a grip, but right now, she just couldn't. Right now, she wanted to march back up to the farmhouse and punch Shane in his ugly face until it was smeared with bright red blood. Right now she wanted to hurt him until his skin turned blue and purple with bruises. Right now she wanted to curl up in a ball and cry until the aching pain in her chest went away. But right now she couldn't do any of that she, so she'd marched herself out to the forest intent on doing something to relieve her anger and making the pain go away.

If she'd been thinking (which she admittedly hadn't been when she'd walked out here) she'd have grabbed some sort of a knife to practice taking out walkers and getting stronger. But, alas, like much of her life, she'd found a perfect opportunity had passed her by. A sudden surge of anger welled up inside Beth and it made her lash out. She balled up her fist and punch, reveling in the feeling of her knuckles connecting with scratchy tree bark. She punched the tree-trunk again with her other hand, and then a third. The bark bit into her knuckles, causing pain to ricochet up her arms, but she punched the solid rough wood until she spotted red blood staining the brown before her. She paused, breathing hard, and looked down at her balled fists. The skin of her knuckles was torn and cracked, red blood pooling in the open fissures and tears. She blinked as she studied the damage to her hands before she realized her eyes were blurry with tears. She wiped at her cheeks, smearing tears and blood along her cheeks, before her legs gave out and she landed on her knees.

The anger died away and Beth was left with a gaping empty hole in her heart that ached for her brother. It ached for her father; it ached for her sister. It ached at the loss of her kin and the fear he must have felt. It ached at how alone she felt. It ached at the beautiful colors, and the knowledge that her soulmate was within her sights, but she was unable to reach out to them for anything. Her heart ached and she had no idea how to keep it from continuing, and so she wept. She pulled her knees up to her face, her hands wrapping around her legs as she let her tears slip down her cheeks.

Daryl stood, arms crossed, leaned against the wall. After Beth's outburst, it had taken quite a while to get her to calm down, and even then it wasn't enough to listen. She'd run off in tears towards the barn. Maggie and Daryl had both moved to go after her, but Hershel had stayed them a saddened look and simply uttered that 'she needed some time to herself.'

The rest of the group had piled into the living room to listen to Glenn and Shane tell their side of the story, although there wasn't really much that was shared. Glenn had run ahead to make sure the car was ready. A large swarm had blocked him, so he hadn't seen or heard much over the groaning ambling bodies. He'd continued on and grabbed the car to make a clean getaway for the other two in their party.

Shane? Well, listening to Shane tell the story, Shawn had been so overcome by a need to make things right, when the swarm set in he'd volunteered to stay back, allowing Shane to get away with the much needed supplies for Carl. Daryl wanted to believe him, as did everyone else in the group, but there was a persistent gnawing in the pit of his stomach that had to side with Beth. Shane had done something and sacrificed that boy in an attempt to get away. Shane was a loose cannon, but was he heartless enough to outright kill a kid for making a mistake?

From the look of weary disbelief on Rick's face, and the concerned look Lori had pinned on him, Daryl knew the answer was yes. But with no proof, there wasn't much they could do, except keep an eye on him. It was all just suspicion right now. A dark suspicion that filled the room with unease. Daryl's eyes drifted over to Maggie and he could tell she was battling with a myriad of emotions. He realized as he watched her face subtly morph with each passing emotion, that he didn't feel as concerned about her feelings as he probably should be since she was, after all, his soulmate. The thought made him want to frown. Shouldn't he care if she was upset or angry? Wasn't that something that should affect him?

Before he could think too hard on it his eyes flitted to Hershel to watch his face. The old man was staring at Shane with a mix of disbelief and a sadness so deep Daryl could almost feel it himself. He could tell the man's pain of losing his son had struck him down to the soul. Daryl briefly wondered what it might be like to have a family that cared that much about each other but he shrugged away the thought. It was no use thinking about such things. Not when it was never going to happen.

"So, you're sayin' he just gave you all the medicine and stayed behind?" Maggie growled. She scowled at Shane who just shrugged a shoulder. "That doesn't sound like Shawn."

"Maggie, don't." Hershel started.

"No. You were the best at pickin' up lies when us kids were growin' up, and you're tellin' me you believe this crap?" Maggie seethed, her voice rising.

"You can believe it's crap all you want." Shane growled out. "It's crap that actually happened. Why wouldn't you want to believe your brother died for a noble cause?" His face morphed into a dark sneer which had Maggie narrowing her eyes at him.

"Because Shawn didn't want to die." She retorted. "No matter how much he messed up, he was doing his best to fix it, and he wasn't goin' to just throw it all away, no matter how much you want to peddle that crap, I know better."

"So, what are you saying?" Shane's face twisted into a dark, ugly scowl. "You callin' me a liar?" He took a threatening step towards her.

"Well, if it looks like a duck, and sounds like a duck...chances are…" She quipped.

"Dammit, Maggie. Enough." Hershel boomed from his place in the room. All eyes turned to the old man. He stood, almost as if in physical pain, silently trying to bear the weight and pain of losing his only son. "That's enough now." He said, his voice softer. Maggie grit her teeth and gave a short curt nod before moving swiftly up the stairs towards her room.

Daryl's eyes darted to Rick who moved to Shane, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Leave off, Shane. She just lost her brother, and they're hurting. It's best if we make ourselves scarce for now. Focus on finding Sophia." Shane's jaw flexed as he grit his teeth before giving a nod.

The screen door squealed on it's hinges and all eyes turned to focus on Beth as she entered, her face sad and smeared with blood. "Jesus, Bethy." Hershel breathed before taking a step towards her. She trudged forward and Daryl watched, his eyes glued to her as he took in her appearance. Her face was smeared with dirt and blood, her knuckles were rough and raw and bleeding, her hair was disheveled and her jeans were stained with green and brown smears like she'd been rolling around in the forest. She stopped in the entrance to the living room, and looked around, her blue eyes landing on Shane and Rick just to her right. Daryl could see the fire still crackling behind the blue but knew that she was holding it in.

"What happened to you, Princess?" Shane sneered as he took a step towards her and quirked a brow. "Cut your delicate little hands doing some gardening?" He taunted as he grabbed her hand to look at her knuckles. With a fierce cry, Daryl watched as she reared her hand back and smacked Shane in the face, smearing her bright red blood on his cheek.

Beth saw red the second Shane's hand had touched her. She'd made it back to the farmhouse, barely containing her anger as she heard her sister yelling words she couldn't quite make out. She entered and the rage had been simmering inside her. She'd just wanted to ask her father to bandage up her hands, but the second Shane had laid his hand on her skin she'd been unable to hold in the fury inside her. She'd reared her hand back, out of his grip, and slammed it against his cheek, loving the sight of her bright red blood smearing against his cheek. Her palm had stung as it connected with his skin, but watching his face snap to the side under her strength had been enough vindication to make any future repercussions worth it.

There had been a collective gasp from the group as Beth's hand fell back to her side, her face frozen in a dark glare, daring Shane to retaliate. She was breathing hard like she'd just run a mile, but she seethed at him. "Keep your damn dirty hands off me." She whispered vehemently before she turned to Hershel and mumbled something about going upstairs to find Maggie. Daryl watched as Shane's cold eyes followed her form as she walked out of the room, and he felt a wealth of protection fill him. Shane was unhinged, whether Rick wanted to see it or not, and Beth had just turned all his ire straight onto her. He couldn't stop the rock that formed in the pit of his stomach at the knowledge that Beth's time was limited if Shane had anything to say about it. Daryl couldn't explain why, but silently he promised no one in particular, that he was going to make sure nothing happened to her. This family had lost enough in the short time they'd been on the farm. He'd be damned if they lost another member.

"Bethy, can I come in?" Hershel called through the door to Beth's bedroom. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her hand as she tried to catch her breath. She mumbled out a response from her spot on her bed, and watched as her daddy opened her door and made his way inside. He closed the door behind him and just stared at her, taking in her defeated demeanor.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." She started, almost a whisper. "I shouldn't have, but I lost my temper." She watched as Hershel nodded and felt her shoulders droop even more. Her hands landed on her comforter, and she looked down at them, grimacing at the thought that she was most likely getting blood on her favorite bedspread. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry some more, but knew if she did that there would be no hope for anyone under this roof to see her as anything other than weak.

"Bethy...you gotta talk to me." Hershel moved to sit next to her on her bed. He watched as she started to sniffle and cry again, trying desperately to hold it in. "I know Bethy," he pulled her into a hug, "it hurts me too. And it's going to hurt a while more. But we gotta be there for each other."

"I know, Daddy. I just…" She buried her face into his shoulder. He held her while she cried, shedding a few tears of his own. When she'd calmed enough to suffer only small hiccups he teached up, tilting her face up to his with his finger under her chin. His thumb brushed away some of the blood and her tears on her cheeks.

"Come on Sunshine. Let's get those hands bandaged up, what do ya say?" She offered him a watery smile and watched as he pulled some gauze out of his pocket. He worked in silence for a few minutes, Beth watching as he cleaned her scraped knuckles and then gently tucked the cotton fabric around her hands.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Doodlebug?" He asked, not looking up from his work.

"I gotta talk to you 'bout somethin'," she hedged nervously. "But I don't want you to get upset." He looked her in the eyes, gently reaching up to cup her cheek.

"You can talk to me 'bout anything."

"I…" she looked down at her bandaged knuckles. "I'm scared."

"Bethy, losing people is always scary. This world is a scary place. That's why I do my best to make sure you are safe. You and your sister." She smiled up at him, her hand coming up to rest on his against her cheek.

"No Daddy." She shook her head. "I'm not scared because of that." She took a deep breath. "Daddy, I'm seein' colors." She watched as he went pale. "I'm seein' colors but I don't know who triggered it."


	6. Chapter 6

"Daddy, I'm seein' colors." She watched as he went pale. "I'm seein' colors but I don't know who triggered it." Hershel sat quietly, but Beth could tell his mind was whirling. "What if...what if it's Shane?" She grimaced.

"Do you like him?" Hershel asked thoughtfully.

"No." She growled. "He makes me feel sick and cold inside." She looked down at her lap. "He makes me feel like I'm boiling alive and all I want to do is hit him and make him hurt."

"Then it ain't him." Hershel said and Beth breathed a sigh of relief.

"Really?"

"When I met your Mama and all my colors started up, all I could think about was spending time with her. I wanted to be in her presence." He smiled fondly at the memory. "It wouldn't do for you to want to fight your soul mate all the time." He gave a decisive nod and a small smile before looking at her sadly.

"Daddy, why're you lookin' at me like you're never gonna see me again?"

"'Cause you're just getting so big. I look at you and I see my little girl with the golden hair and skinned up knees that used to hide under the covers when the thunder and lightning came." He shook his head. "Somewhere along the lines you went and grew up on me when I wasn't watching. And look at you now. Nearly full grown with a soul mate. Makes my heart ache somethin' fierce." She smiled up at him and wrapped him in a big hug.

"I'll always be your little girl Daddy." She breathed as he hugged her tightly. "And I'm gonna need you now more'n ever. You gotta help me figure out who it is." Hershel pulled back and smiled at her.

"Of course I will Bethy, I'm gonna have to know this boy too since he's goin' to be part of the family. You got any ideas of who it ain't?" She shrugged, putting her hands in her lap.

"Well, I know it ain't the kid."

"Carl."

"Yeah. It ain't Carl. Or Glenn." Hershel looked confused. "The one about Maggie's age. He's the Asian one." She sighed. "Honestly, it happened when we all rushed to help Carl in the forest, so it could be his daddy, Rick, Shane, or that other guy, Daryl." She looked up at him.

"Well, we know it ain't Shane." She gave a nod. "So, it's between Rick or Shane." She nodded again and looked up at her dad, her face frozen in horror.

"Daddy, if it's Rick, I can't do nothin' about it. He's married to Lori, and -" she bit her lip before confiding in him, "she told me not to tell anyone, but she's pregnant." Her features sagged in sadness. "I wouldn't wanna do anything to mess that up." Hershel pursed his lips.

"That's a brave thing for you to do, Bethy. Not many would make that sacrifice." He patted her shoulder. "I'll be praying that it's not him, but it very well could be. You gotta watch him, and get to know him. See if he says anything." She nodded. She felt miserable. She prayed it wasn't Rick either. She couldn't watch her soul mate carry on and love someone else while she stood by silently, but she also couldn't break up a family because she wanted to be selfish. She'd have to just see.

Beth walked quietly down towards the barn. She heaved a relieved sigh as she entered, leaving the door open behind her, and made her way to her horse's stall. Gently she patted her horse before moving to start sweeping the musty hay from the bottom of the stall. While she loved taking care of Carl and making sure he was alright, playing a nurse or nanny to the kid was starting to become tiring. She wanted to go back to the way things were. Where she took care of the horses, and helped with chores. On the plus side she'd managed to spend a good amount of time talking and getting to know both Rick and Lori.

They were both great people, and Beth could see the love between them, even if there was some strain. It made her insides ache a little, to watch them interact, but she found herself wondering why it wasn't a more powerful feeling considering he was most likely her soulmate. She didn't find herself wanting to spend more time with him. She didn't find herself getting jealous when Lori and Rick were together. She found herself enjoying watching them together, watching them love and care for Carl. She found herself enjoying learning little things about them, and hurting for Lori at the unease she had about her, still unannounced, pregnancy.

It wasn't just Rick she was taking time to get to know, actually. She'd stayed up quite late in the evenings chatting with Lori. It seemed the older woman needed someone to talk to. She'd shared about Rick being shot, and being told he was dead, and trying to find safety with Shane. She shared about how she'd gotten lonely, and he had just simply been there, and how she hated herself for it every time. She shared about how her stomach had dropped down to her knees when she'd laid eyes on Rick again, and then how she'd fought the urge to vomit the second she realized she was, in fact, pregnant, but didn't know whose it was. Beth hadn't been able to provide much help, but had given her what she could, a shoulder to cry on and a friendly ear to listen.

Beth connected with Lori. She felt kind of like the mother Beth so desperately missed, and the friend Beth so desperately wanted. She enjoyed her company and felt at ease around her. Lori obviously felt comfortable to share with Beth over the past few weeks and it was nice to feel like she wasn't alone.

Beth heard the door to the barn swing shut and close with a loud clatter. She wiped her brow before calling out. "Maggie, is that you?" She frowned when she got no response. "Lori?" the hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Beth set the broom down. She turned to the stall door and froze when she spied Shane standing there, dark eyes trained on her. She swallowed thickly. "Sh-shane? What are you doin' here?" She stammered, wishing with all her might that she'd locked the door to the barn. He stalked towards her and she felt herself stumble backward until her back pressed against the wooden wall. She tried with all her might to hold on to her righteous fury, but felt it all turn into a cold lump of fear in her tummy. Shane stalked ever closer, invading her space until she could no longer smell the moldy hay, just him. She trembled.

"You got some nerve, girl." He seethed at her, bending down to place his face in hers. "Thinkin' you can lay hands on me and get away with it." She watched as his hand came up to grip her chin in a bruising grasp. "You ain't the brightest bunch out here, but you...now you take the cake. Can't leave well enough alone." She reached up to try to pry his hand from her face, but let out a quiet cry as his free hand wrapped itself in her long hair, yanking back until she could do nothing but look up at the roof of the barn. She whimpered as her hands came up to his wrist to try to tug herself free.

"Anything happens to me, and everyone is gonna look at you. It ain't a secret you've been stalking and glaring at me since you killed my brother." Shane smirked at the quiver in her voice. "Let me go and I'll make sure they let you off easy." She tried and felt her insides shrink when he let out a dark snicker.

"You think you have any kind of pull with these people. These are my people. I've seen them through hell, and I see them through this. They'll take my side every time. Hell, look at how quick they were to believe that your stupid brother was so willing to make the ultimate sacrifice." He snickered again. "None of them would believe that I did anything to that stupid idiot. They're like sheep, willing to follow the strongest leader."

"Rick is the leader of your group, and you know it, you sorry excuse of a human being." She grit out through her teeth before letting out a shocked cry when he viciously yanked at her hair.

"Rick ain't nothing to my group. I saw to them in hard times when he was still laid up in a bed."

"Oh I heard all about that." Beth seethed, proud of herself for the anger that mounted in her and gave her the courage to challenge him. "About how you left him in that hospital for dead. How you told Lori you'd watched him die, and then turned around and took her to bed. I heard all about how when he came back you damn near lost your mind with jealousy, and how it's been nothing but hell on Lori trying to keep away from you because you don't take no for an answer." She glared at him. The sneer that came to his face made her heart slam to a stop in her chest. He wouldn't…

"Well, since I don't take no for an answer," her hands came forward to try to push him away from her.

"No…" she whimpered as his face neared her. "No!" she yelled as she fought in earnest to get free.

Daryl watched as Beth flitted around the house like a girl on a mission. Carl had woken up a few days ago and she was put in charge of making sure he was tended and cared for. Honestly, it had probably been the reason she'd survived the past couple weeks since she'd smacked Shane in the face.

Daryl had noticed, on more than one occasion, Shane glaring daggers in her direction and giving her dark looks that just spoke of evil. One morning, after Daryl had gone out clearing with Maggie, he'd found Shane following Beth down to the barn. When questioned Shane hadn't had a good answer for what he was doing there. Beth had scurried into the barn, shutting and locking the doors behind her, and Shane had turned on his heel and stalked away. He'd canceled his morning sessions with Maggie after that. Maggie had shrugged it off and Daryl would have been hard-pressed to say he was disappointed she didn't put up more of a fuss.

As soon as Carl had woken up Beth had been a flurry of activity in the house, making sure he was fed and watered, that his bandages weren't seeping or in need of changing. She'd also been spending a lot of time around the boy's father, asking him questions, and talking to him. She was awfully interested in Rick, and while Daryl wouldn't say he was jealous, he knew she had no business being so interested in a married man. Daryl thought briefly about talking to her father, but the grey old man didn't seem to mind all the time his youngest daughter dedicated to Rick.

Daryl just sniffed and turned his attention back to the tree-line on the edge of the property. He heard Rick's voice sound in response to something Beth said and he had to grit his teeth. He heard the screen door give a squeal as it closed and saw Rick walk up towards him out of the corner of his eye while Beth moved down the stairs, across the small patch of grass and down the way towards the barn on the edge of the property.

"Daryl." Rick commented in greeting. Daryl grunted. "I know you've been takin' Maggie out clearin', or at least you were. Have you found anything? Any sign of Sophia?"

"Nothin' yet, but seein' as how I'm the only one lookin' it ain't like I'm gonna find something right away." Daryl snarked. "It's a lot of forest to cover."

Rick caught Daryl's eye, a concerned look on his face. "You got something to say, Daryl?"

"Nah, nothin' at all. Just thinkin' maybe, if you weren't too busy playin' footsies with the farmer's daughter you might be out there lookin' for that lost little girl." He stood up, walking into Rick's space. Rick eyed him thoughtfully.

"It ain't like that. There ain't nothing going on 'tween me 'n Beth. She's just takin' care of Carl. She hasn't seen many new people and she's just friendly." Rick gave a shrug. "She spends a good amount of time talkin' to Lori and Carl too." He offered, and Daryl was horrified to note that it took the edge off his angry feelings to hear that maybe she was just friendly. Daryl watched as Rick squinted in the direction of the barn, and Daryl jerked his gaze in that direction, not noticing anything suspicious. "Why don't you go get some supplies and you and I will go out and search for her? Let Carol know we're going to stop by the highway and see if that food has been touched. We'll swing back around the forest and search on our way back here." Daryl gave a nod. "I'll meet you down by the tree line." And with that Rick started down the stairs towards the barn without a backward glance.

Daryl cast a funny glance at the man's back but turned to go grab his things. The urgency in Rick's voice and the abruptness with which he ended the conversation had Daryl on edge. That wasn't like the man, and to watch him march down to the barn with so much purpose told Daryl something was happening at the barn and they needed to get down there and fast.

Beth struggled against Shane's grip. "No!" She yelled again as he yanked viciously at her hair. Before Beth could do anything, Shane was being ripped away from her, dragging her by his grip in her hair. She stared wide eyed as Rick dragged them both out of the barn. He whirled around and slugged Shane in the face.

Beth breathed a sigh of relief as Shane released her hair and watched as he dropped to his knees in the grass outside. Rick grabbed his shirt once more, dragging his face back up to him. "What the hell do you think you're doin'?" He growled before slamming his fist into Shane's jaw. He reared back and hit him again, the resounding crunch of the man's nose making Beth's stomach revolt. She watched as Rick beat Shane down, her fearful eyes frozen to the sight as she barely registered someone else running up.

Her eyes flicked up to stare at Daryl as he lunged for Rick, pulling him off of Shane. "Rick, you gotta stop, man." Daryl rumbled as he pulled Rick away.

"You stay away from her. You stay away from all of 'em." Rick threatened. "I don't care what happened before. I don't care what you did or what she did. You gotta straighten yourself out…"

"Or what?" Shane roared.

"Or I'll end you myself." Rick countered, the hard edge in his voice telling Beth that he was completely serious. Beth's eyes jumped between Rick and Daryl before landing on Shane's face, and she let out a gasp. The red that blossomed on his face from the cut on his nose, accompanied by the purples and blues that were already starting to form under his skin, made Beth pause to marvel at the world of color around her. "Beth," her eyes jerked up to Rick, "I want you to head back up to the house. Daryl and I will take care of him." She gave a nod before scurrying back up to the house. She wanted to protest and keep them from killing him (assuming that was what was going to happen.) She wanted to ask them to just leave him be. But the bigger part of her, the part that had kept her mercifully silent, feared that if he was left to his own devices he'd finish what was just interrupted and Beth knew she didn't want that.

She turned to look over her shoulder, catching one last glimpse of the three men before darting into the house. She reached her room before she gave herself a moment to analyse what had just happened. Her mind floated back to Rick and the fierce protectiveness in his eyes that you'd caught when he'd ripped Shane away. It made her tummy flutter and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. She gave herself a small secretive smile before letting out a breath. She liked Rick. He made her feel safe and protected and that was so important in this world. He was with Lori, and Beth knew that, and she knew she'd never do anything to get between them. She could wait. She was patient. With a decisive nod she straightened her hair. Rick must be her soul mate, and even if it took her whole life, she'd wait. She'd wait until he realized she was his.


	7. Chapter 7

Rick grabbed Shane by the collar of the shirt, dragging him off towards the forest. Daryl watched, and followed, silently. He was curious how Rick would handle the situation. Daryl tried to be objective and think about how he would handle it if he was the one in charge, but honestly he was so angry he wanted to bust a hole into Shane's face. Daryl had walked up just in time to see Rick land a solid punch to Shane's jaw, which in and of itself was enough to raise Daryl's eyebrow, but the second Beth had emerged from the barn, all color stripped from her face, Daryl had seen red. He wasn't normally protective and honestly the force with which he was overcome with the feeling shook him to his core. This whole soulmate thing was a hassle when it involved feelings about their families as well.

As Daryl moved quietly in the brush behind the two men, he had to admit to himself. His protective feelings weren't completely centered on Maggie and her position in his life. Daryl was an angry redneck, who came from the wrong side of the tracks, but the idea of forcing a girl into something like that made his stomach turn and twist in knots. Especially one that wasn't much stronger than wet paper. Beth needed to be protected. She needed to be taught how to protect herself, but all the training in the world wouldn't take away the fact that she'd still need someone to look out for her.

Daryl watched as Shane and Rick came to a stop, Shane rounding on Rick. "What are you gonna do, Rick? Shoot me?" Shane sneered. Daryl clenched his hands around the stock of his crossbow. It would take one pull of his finger and Shane would be ended, but it wasn't his call, no matter how much Daryl wanted to put the sick ass down.

"What the hell were you doin', Shane?" Rick countered. "We are guests here on this farm. Guests who already cost this family a life." He growled out. Shane lunged at him, landing a right hook on Rick's jaw.

"That kid sacrificed himself." Shane hissed. Without pause Rick pulled his pistol out, training it on Shane.

"You can feed that crap to everyone else in there, but I know better. I know you better." Rick uttered, voice deathly calm. "Now, I'm tryin'. I'm tryin' to think of a good reason not to bury a bullet in your skull."

"You gonna kill me over these people? These nobodies?" Rick didn't respond. Daryl watched with baited breath as Rick seemed to weigh his words and his options. Before he could make a decision the snapping of twigs and the cocking of a gun made all three men freeze and turn their weapons on the lone stranger standing in the open.

"Well, I was just going to let you kill each other, but I've been out here looking for strangers for days and frankly Randall is getting a little mad that I haven't found y'all yet." Daryl squinted at this punk, no older than Beth or maybe her older brother. Daryl briefly wondered if maybe Beth knew this kid, but by the way he had his gun trained squarely on Rick, he knew this encounter was going to end in someone not walking away.

"We ain't got no business with you kid." Rick called from behind his pistol.

"Oh, but that doesn't matter. We got business with anyone we find in this forest. Now, why don't you drop those weapons and any ammo you may have on you so we can collect from you?"

"We who?" Shane questioned, cocking his gun back.

"Oh, you didn't think I came out here alone, did you?" A series of clicks from guns cocking back as well as shifting of brush showed a group of about seven guys, guns all trained on their little group. Daryl felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. He knew he could get off at least one shot, and Rick and Shane might be able to drop at least one each, but they were still greatly outnumbered and a firefight would result in not just the loss of their weapons, but their lives as well. Rick grit his teeth before dropping his gun and squatting down to place it on the ground on the brown dirt.

"Put 'em down, guys." Rick said, eyes darting over to Daryl and Shane. With a growl Shane and Daryl followed suit, placing their weapons down on the ground. One of the strangers made their way over, gun still trained on them, and stooped to gather the weapons.

"Alright, now gentlemen. The fun can begin."

Beth stood at the kitchen sink, admiring the play of sunshine on the fields outside. The grass looked so green, and the sky looked so blue and it made her little mind spin. Her thoughts floated back to the barn and she couldn't stop the shiver that overtook her. She couldn't stop thinking about the look in Shane's eyes as he'd yanked her head back and bore down on her. His eyes were a dark brown, a color she was starting to hate with a passion, but they'd been so heated and vibrant when he'd attacked her. Just the picture of them in her mind made her get anxious and flood with fear.

She let out a breath, trying to rid herself of the terrifying image. "You seem like you've seen a ghost." Beth jumped and looked over her shoulder at Lori and Carol. Beth had seen Carol around, never really talking to her, but she'd noticed the woman seemed sweet and kind. A deep sadness was buried within her, but Beth could never really bring herself to ask what had happened to hurt this woman so badly. It just seemed too personal.

"Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought." She smiled at the two women. "Did y'all need something?"

"Yeah. Carol was wondering if you had anything in the way of asprin?" Beth's eyes flicked over to the older woman for a second, a warm smile on her face.

"I know things like that are probably wildly expired, but I figured I'd ask." Beth thought for a moment, smiling at Carol and how she was trying so hard not to be a bother, like she felt she wasn't worth it.

"You know, we might have something. Lemme go check the bathroom." Beth took a step towards the bathroom just off where Carl was resting.

"Oh thank you. That's very kind of you." Beth opened the medicine cabinet, looking at the bottles in front of her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the bottle she wanted and plucked it from the shelf.

"This is all we got." She handed the bottle to Carol, a small grimace on her face. "It's not much, but it should do the trick." Carol nodded, clutching the bottle close to her.

"Thank you." She ducked her head and made her way back out to the front. Beth sighed.

"Thank you, Beth." Lori said, watching Carol walk away. "It's the simple kindnesses that help heal the worst wounds."

"What happened?" Beth asked, not elaborating because it wasn't needed.

"Back before everything turned into this, Carol had a daughter. She has a daughter." Lori corrected, and Beth's heart ached for the woman. "She and Sophia and Ed, Sophia's dad, were part of our group when everything kind of fell apart. We were scavenging for supplies on the highway. A herd came up on us and we all had to hide under the cars. When we thought it was clear Sophia crawled out from under the car. A couple walkers chased her into forest, and Rick took off after them. They got separated and we haven't seen her since." Lori looked at Beth, her expression was sad. "We've been searching for her ever since, but the hope gets dimmer and dimmer each day we don't find her." Beth bit her lip.

"Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry." She breathed. "You've all had such sad experiences." Lori nodded. "Lost so much." she sighed. "I'm so sorry."

"Ain't your fault. That's just how things go in this world with the way it is." Beth nodded.

"Are you scared for your baby?" Lori nodded. "Well, if I know anything about Rick, he'll make sure you and that baby are well protected and cared for." Lori smiled over at Beth.

"He's a good man. For all his faults, he's a very good man."

"Does he know yet?" Beth asked quietly and Lori nodded again.

"Yes. I told him everything, the good the bad and the ugly, after…" she trailed off for a moment. "After we lost Shaun. I wanted him to know in case…"

"In case Carl didn't make it?" Beth whispered. The mention of her brother was still hard. Her feelings were still fresh and raw from the whole situation. She watched as Lori nodded. "I bet he's excited." Beth hedged, trying to get the conversation away from thoughts of her brother. Lori nodded.

"Yes he is, but he's always been excited to be a father." Lori's eyes softened and Beth watched as the love blossomed in her features. She was touched with jealousy, but bit it back. It wasn't her place. Not really.

"But you're not?" Beth observed, the envy burning in her belly.

"I'm excited to have a baby, but I look at this world. And I think about what kind of life that child is going to grow up in. I have most of a lifetime of happy memories to remember. Carl is younger, he only has a few from before everything happened and I can already see that weighing on his shoulders. This baby wont have any memories of before. When the world wasn't like this." Lori looked to Beth. "What kind of life is that for a baby?"

"You gotta have hope. That baby will be surrounded by a family that loves it. It will have two parents who will do everything they can to make their life happy and secure. That's more than a lot of kids before everything turned out like this." Beth offered, trying desperately to lift Lori's hope. Lori smiled softly and looked down at the ground before over at Beth once more.

"How do you do that?" Beth frowned not sure what she was talking about. "How do you always stay so positive and keep the hope with everything going on?" Beth just shrugged lightly.

"You don't have much if you don't have hope that it can get better." She offered simply. Lori thoguth for a moment before nodding.

"You are very right Beth. You are very right."

Daryl let out a grunt as he was shoved down to sit on the ground in a dirt abandoned warehouse. Rick followed, and then Shane was settled on the ground as well. Daryl fidgeted with the rope currently holding his wrists bound behind his back. After having their weapons collected, Daryl, Rick and Shane had all had their hands bound and were led through the forest to some abandoned warehouse. They sat silently as some kid walked into the room. Daryl glared at the kid.

"Well, it's about damn time we found you." He said, humor evident in his voice. "We've been looking for you since we saw your message on the highway."

"You must be Randall?" Rick asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah. I'm bad with introductions. My name is Randall, welcome to my place!" He grinned, throwing his arms wide.

"So, now that we're here, you gonna kill us?"

"Me? Oh no." He shook his head, crossing his arms in front of him. "We're going to find out where the rest of your group is hiding, and then once we find that out, we're going to give you to our pets."

"Your pets?"

"Yes. We have pets, and we like to take good care of our pets." Randall's grin turned dark and menacing as he stared at the three men. Daryl swallowed, his eyes darting to a door on the other side of the room as a loud bang rang out. Daryl listened and was horrified to hear the low gurgling moans and sighs coming from the other side of that door.

"You got walkers?" He hissed out, and Randall's eyes landed on him.

"Yeah. We collect biters as we find them. They make the best pets since you only ever gotta feed 'em every once in awhile." He gave a shrug. "I figure it's been a good couple weeks since they've had anything to eat, so they should make it quick when they get to you." Daryl felt the blood drain from his face and the bile rose in his stomach.

Figures he'd finally find his soulmate, only to end up walker food.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl listened as Randall called out to people he couldn't see. Two more men entered the room and grabbed Shane, dragging him from the room. He saw Rick struggle against his bonds. Randall turned and smiled at Rick. "Oh don't worry, your turn is coming." With that he followed Shane and the other two men out the door.

The minted they were left alone Rick worked hard against the ropes at his wrist. "We gotta hurry. They won't leave us alone for long. If we can get out, we can find our weapons and get out of here." Daryl grunted and fought against his bindings. He felt the knot give a little and continued to pull and twist, hissing as he felt the coarse rope bite into his skin. It didn't take long for him to free his hands, the rope falling away. He moved to Rick, pulling him free and helping him stand.

"You got any weapons?" Daryl rumbled, wishing he'd left the little blade in his boot like normal. Rick shook his head.

"Nah, wasn't plannin' on fightin' just some huntin'." He looked towards the door where they took Shane and then towards the only other door in the room. The groans and gurgles that sounded from behind that door had Rick shaking his head. "Looks like we gotta go that way." Daryl gave a silent nod, following as they moved towards the door. They listened. Listened for any sound signaling that someone was on the other side of that door. Listened for anything that would tell them if they were alone. Hearing nothing, Rick took a deep breath before opening the door quietly, his eyes scanning the area before he poked his head out. "It's just a hallway." He whispered. Daryl followed him out, both walking on quiet feet. They rounded a corner and ran smack into one of Randall's thugs. Daryl lunged, grabbing the front of the guy's shirt and slammed him into the wall, knocking his head against the concrete wall with a resounding thud. The guy went down without a sound. Rick and Daryl made quick work of searching his person for any and all weapons. They found a handgun tucked into the waistband of his jeans and a hunting knife strapped to his ankle. These would help for sure.

"We need to find Shane and get the hell outta here." Daryl mumbled lowly. Rick nodded.

"Let's try this way." Rick and Daryl crept down the hallway checking rooms along the way. They encountered another one of Randall's boys in a random room they opened. They'd made quick work of the kid, knocking him out and confiscating his weapons before leaving him where he laid on the floor.

They made their way through a few more doors, finding a few more weapons along the way. "Rick, know where we're goin'?" Rick shook his head.

"Just trying to find Shane so we can try to get the hell out of here." Daryl nodded. "C'mon. I think he's through this door." Rick pushed the door open, pistol trained in front of him as he entered the room. "Shane!" Rick rushed forward and crouched before his friend. Shane was tied, hands behind his back, and to a metal chair. His face was bloodied, and deformed from being beaten.

"Rick?" Shane muttered, trying desperately to open his swollen eyes.

"Yes, Shane. We're gonna get you outta here, and take you home." Shane groaned. Rick moved behind him, gripping the bindings on Shane's wrists. Daryl held his knife in his hand, ready at the door in case Randall or another one of his boys decided to walk on in. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Rick sling Shane's arm over his shoulder and lift the injured man up. It was then that Daryl could see the full extent of Shane's injuries. It wasn't just his face that was busted and bruised. Shane's wrists were bloodied with brilliant scarlet blood from the rope that had tied him and he had darkening blood pooling and dripping wounds along his torso and chest. No wonder the man was hurting. "Daryl, lead the way, we gotta get him outta here."

Daryl nodded before swinging the door open and making sure the hallway was clear. He heard Rick moving behind him, Shane hobbling and hopping, trying to keep up. Knowing Randall and his men could be anywhere Daryl moved to a door, hoping it would be a way out of this maze of a warehouse. It wasn't Daryl walked into the room and met eyes with not only Randall, but two of his buddies. The sound of chair legs scraping along concrete rang through the air as the men jumped up and moved to Daryl. Daryl swung, letting out a grunt as his arm was caught and pushed back towards him. His left arm came up, connecting with the man's torso before his right swung back around and connected. Daryl watched as the large blade in his hand sunk into the man's side. The man latched onto Daryl's shoulders, fear seeping into his eyes as the pain made him grunt low in his throat.

Daryl watched as the lights went out in the man's eyes and he let him fall to the ground. He spun around, watching as both Shane and Rick tried their best to fight off Randall and the other goon that had been in the room. Rick quickly put down the unknown man turning to try to aid Shane.

A loud grunt of pain made everyone freeze. Shane stood, glaring at Randall, as shock flooded the younger kids face. Shane hobbled back, and Daryl saw the thick blade slide out of his stomach, dark red blood seeping into his shirt and down the front of his pants. Shane looked down at the wound before letting out a roar and grabbing Randall's hand. He slammed the man's fist up into his own throat, reveling with an evil smile as Randall gurgled and grunted in fear as the blade slide into his neck up to the hilt. Without a word Shane jerked on Randall's wrist and watched as the blade sliced near clean through Randall's throat. The kid let out a gurgled gasp before he fell to his knees and then collapsed to the floor. Shane looked up at Daryl and then over to Rick as he stumbled and crashed into the wall.

Rick was at his side instantly. "Shane, you hold on. We're gonna get you home and Hershel's gonna fix you right up." Daryl watched the scene in silence. He watched as Shane's bloodied hand came up to grip Rick's sleeve in a death grip, shaking his head in response as he fought for breath. "Yes, Shane, you hold on now…" Shane's grip loosened. "You hold on dammit!" and with that he was gone. Rick let out a sob before he sucked in a breath and tried to calm himself.

Daryl didn't get to sit in silent reverie for long. A low gurgling moan made his spine stiffen as he turned and looked at the guy he'd down just minutes ago. Daryl watched as the kid, now a walker, moved towards him, arms outstretched as he reached forward in hunger. Daryl cocked his hand back before sinking his blade deep in the kid's skull. His heart thudded quickly. The kid hadn't been bit. There was no reason he should have turned…

Daryl moved determinedly into the hallway, sinking his blade first into Randall's skull, and then into the last guy's. He looked to Rick, not sure how to voice his suspicion. "Rick-" he started but wasn't able to finish his sentence. Shane gripped Rick, dead eyes opening again, as hungry jaws growled and snapped at his friend. Daryl jerked forward sinking his blade into Shane's head, twisting until his body went once again limp in death. Rick pushed Shane's body away, his mind whirling in confusion. "Was he bit?" Daryl asked. Rick shook his head, staring in disbelief. "Rick, are you sure he wasn't bit?" Daryl asked his voice much more urgent.

"No. He wasn't bit. He shouldn't have turned." Rick's eyes landed on Daryl, "He shouldn't have turned." Daryl nodded before he pulled his knife free, wiped it clean and tucked it into his belt. "What does that mean, Daryl?" Rick asked, clearly unable to process what had just happened.

"It means, until we figure out why he turned, we give everyone the courtesy of a head shot, just to be safe." Daryl moved away from Shane, checking the other bodies and collecting a set of keys that looked like they went to an old car that might still run, as well as scooping up his crossbow that was neatly tucked away in a corner he hadn't seen upon first entering. "Come on, we need to get him up if we're going to get back to bury him." Rick climbed to his feet, helping Daryl heft Shane up. Before they could decide which way to go a shout sounded from down the hallway. Daryl met Rick's eyes before they set Shane's lifeless body back down and took off away from the new group of people on their tails. "We'll come back for him Rick." Daryl shouted as he shoved Rick down the hallway, breathing a sigh of relief when Rick nodded and moved quickly beside him down the hallway.

Daryl lost track of which way they'd gone, or how many doors they'd run through, blessedly not running into anyone else. Soon enough they stopped hearing the stampede of footfalls behind them, but the adrenaline was just too high to slow down.

Rick burst through the door first, the sunlight blinding him temporarily. The gurgles and moans of the walkers outside made him rear back, falling into Daryl in his attempt to backpedal away from the danger. Daryl gripped his shirt, steadying him, "Ain't no turnin' back, Rick." He turned Rick to catch his eye. "Just a few more walkers and we can go back. You can make it back to your kid." Rick grit his teeth and gave a nod, gripping his stolen gun in his hand and turning to face the small group of walkers now ambling towards them.

One by one they took them down, watching as each body fell where they were hit. Daryl and Rick found themselves standing amidst a small pile of rotting corpses, breathing hard as they scanned the area. A soft scuffling, followed by a low hiss pulled both men's attention to the farthest corner of the little quad they were standing in. The sight that met their eyes caused the breath to leave Daryl's chest.

"No." Rick gasped, taking a step back as anger, frustration, and sadness overwhelmed him. "No!" He yelled fisting his hand at his side. Daryl felt his insides turn to ice as he watched the small little figure amble towards them, hissing and reaching for them in a mindless hunger.

"Dammit," Daryl choked out before gripping his gun and raising his arm. "Sophia, you weren't supposed to go out like this girl." His words floated to the unhearing ears of the little girl they'd been searching for since she disappeared from the highway. Daryl felt the angry tears prick at his eyes but refused to let them fall. He took a deep breath before he aimed his weapon and pulled the trigger. He watched as she fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. His eyes watched her, feeling an unfamiliar pain float through him. He could hear Rick panting and trying to hold back his own tears next to him. On legs that wobbled dangerously beneath him, Daryl ventured forward, grabbing a discarded and destroyed fabric tarp along the way.

"Daryl, what're you doin'?" Rick gasped out, trying to claw his way through the uncomfortable emotions assaulting him all at once.

"Ain't gonna leave her," Daryl responded, "we had to leave Shane, we ain't gonna leave her too. We bury our dead." He took the fabric tarp and laid it down before gently moving Sophia to the middle of it. With quick and efficient movements he wrapped her little body up. "Carol at least deserves to bury her daughter. It's been hell on her not knowin'." With that he slung his crossbow over his shoulder and pulled Sophia into his arms. He turned and looked to Rick as the other man walked closer, gently reached out and placed his hand on her cloth covered forehead. He watched as Rick sniffed before wiping at his face, smearing the sweat and tears on his skin.

"You're right." He looked off into the distance, "We should get goin'." Daryl nodded. "That group could come out any minute, best to get hidden in the trees." Daryl let out a soft grunt and followed behind Rick in the direction of the farm.

Beth sat the kitchen table, nervously fidgeting with the pen in her hand as she wrote in her journal. It had been three days since Rick, Shane, and Daryl had been seen by anyone on their little farm. A deep pit of dread settled in her stomach at the thought that something bad had happened to them.

Suddenly, a loud crying sounded from outside and Beth was on her feet instantly. She rushed through the front door, screen door slapping closed with a loud screech. It took her brain a minute to process what she was seeing. Her eyes landed on Daryl and Rick first, Rick carrying a bundle that looked like the body of a child. Then she saw Carol gently reaching for the bundle, crying in anguish as she fell to her knees. Rick knelt down in front of her, and Carol reached out gently cradling the little body. Beth's heart broke.

She heard the screen door screech and then slap shut again, as Lori walked up beside her. "What happened?"

"Rick and Daryl are back," Beth started, "they found Carol's daughter." Her voice was soft and pained as Lori let out a gasp. She watched as Lori moved forward, going to Carol's side and enveloping her in a comforting hug. The sight was painful to watch. Beth's eyes floated away from the scene, unable to hide the pain that filled her for her friends, and landed on Daryl. He was watching Carol and Rick and Lori, but Beth could tell he was hurting for them as well. She couldn't put her finger on how she could tell (it wasn't like he outwardly displayed his emotions or feelings) but she knew. She could feel it.

She bit her lip and turned, her eyes landing on her daddy who stood silently just inside the doorway, watching everything. "Bethy…" It was all he needed to say. She knew what she needed to do. Her mama always said she had a knack for making people feel better, well now that was needed more than ever.


	9. Chapter 9

The burial was small, quiet. Not even Carol cried. Beth had stood silently at the back of the crowd, watching how everyone just stared at the little pile of upturned dirt. She'd watched as one by one the group trickled away until it was just her and Carol. Beth moved slowly forward, studying the woman's worn and tired face. "I'm sorry," she started, reaching out but withdrawing quickly when the woman shrunk in on herself, "I'm sorry for your loss." Carol just nodded. "I know I never met her, but I can tell you loved your daughter very much, and she was somethin' special."

"I did. She was something special." Carol rasped out.

"You'll always have a place to visit her now." Beth tried. "I know it's not the same -"

"No." Carol cut her off. "No, that thing wasn't my little girl." She took a steadying breath. "My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought...I hoped. She didn't cry herself to sleep at night. She didn't go hungry. She didn't try to find her way back. No, my Sophia died a long time ago. That's just some other thing." And with that Beth watched as Carol turned sharply on her heel and marched away from the little gravesite. She couldn't help the choked up breath that caught in her throat at the idea of so much pain. Losing a family member was never easy or painless, but losing a child...now that was a pain so deep Beth couldn't even fathom it.

Beth meandered her way back to the farmhouse, watching as people moved listlessly around, offering comfort where they could. This was a hard blow to the group, and she hadn't a clue how to handle it. Her eyes landed on Rick and Lori, hugging and comforting each other, and she was only mildly surprised to find that she wasn't being eaten alive by jealousy. Her eyes watched as they hugged each other close, whispering words of comfort into each others ear. Rick's hand went to Lori's still flat stomach and Beth averted her eyes.

Her stomach churned and she swallowed before moving quickly to the house to go inside. She needed to think. She needed to clear her head. So much had happened the past few days, and Beth needed to process. The squealing of the screen door signaled her entrance into the house, but she ducked her head and dashed upstairs to her bedroom, avoiding Maggie when she heard her calling her from the back of the house. She didn't want to see her sister right now. She didn't want to see her daddy right now. She didn't want to see anyone right now. Silently she shut her bedroom door, before climbing up on her bed to sit cross-legged on top of her bedspread.

Her eyes landed on the fabric, fingers gently dancing along that patterns of the quilt, as she got lost in her thoughts. Her mind floated back to the image of Rick and Lori together. Beth sighed. Something was clawing away at her insides but she couldn't put her finger on it. All she knew was that she didn't want to wait for Rick. Rick was going to be a daddy...again. Even if he was the one that triggered her colors, she would never do anything to put herself in the middle of that family. There was so much love there, she couldn't bare to watch it fall apart.

Beth sighed. She couldn't even say for sure if he was her soulmate. If he was, he sure didn't give any hints about it. Not that she was expecting him to profess his love or just come out and say it for all to hear, but the man didn't even make mention of colors, ever. And, if he suddenly started seeing color, after being with his wife for that long, wouldn't that cause a little bit of a surprise? Wouldn't he even try to figure out where the colors came from? The more Beth thought about it, the more she really doubted he was her forever.

That left just one other person. Daryl. Beth contemplated him. He was quiet, and sometimes seemed protective of her (but honestly he was protective of pretty much everyone in his little group), but other than that…he seemed like he couldn't be bothered with her. He seemed more likely to spend time with her sister than with her. Beth nibbled on her lip before letting out a sigh.

She was a right selfish little kid. She flopped back onto her pillow, staring up at the ceiling. This group had lost Shane (thank goodness), and Carol's child Sophia, and they'd almost lost Carl. They were reeling from so much loss, and she was up here sulking and worrying about her damn colors, rather than being down there trying to comfort others. Her head jerked as a knock sounded on her door. She sat up, watching as her father poked his head into her room. "Hey Doodlebug, you alright?" She smiled at Hershel Greene.

"Yeah, Daddy. Just doin' a little growin' up, I think." He gave her a confused look and she smiled.

"I can't be worryin' 'bout my colors right now. Daddy, they've gone through so much, and I'm over here worryin' 'bout why I get to see all these pinks and blues, and greens, and who caused 'em." She shook her head. "That's just so selfish right now." Hershel looked like he wanted to interrupt but she stopped him. "My colors aren't goin' anywhere right now. I gotta help them. I gotta learn how to take care of myself. I got bigger things to worry about." Hershel gave a nod. "I'd like to learn how to defend myself." Her mind floated back to the incident in the barn with Shane. "I'd like to learn how to fight, and take down walkers." Hershel's face suddenly turned thunderous. "I know, you don't want me to, but I could wind up like that little girl. All this," she motioned to her room, "could go away, and if I can't defend myself, I will wind up like that little girl." She swallowed. "I'm big enough, I'm old enough, I need to learn, Daddy." She studied her dad for a heartbeat before she heard him sigh.

"I know, you're right, Bethy. But that don't mean I'm not afraid of you gettin' hurt." He looked down before he made his way to her bed and sat down beside her. "You're all I got left of your mama, and I wanna keep you safe." He smiled at her, "But I've crippled you. Tryin' to keep you safe, I kept you from being able to care of your own." He stroked her cheek gently. "You're right. You do need to learn. You and your sister. I'll talk to Rick and see if he has anyone willin' to work with us, to teach us." Beth beamed at her dad before flinging her arms around him.

"Thank you daddy." She breathed into his shoulder. She felt him nod before he released her gently. "I should get downstairs and start putting something together for dinner. I don't think many people are goin' to be too hungry, but we should still have somethin' ready." Hershel patted her cheek.

"You are so much like your mother. Always worrying about others and tryin' to take care of them." She grinned as she stood up. "Not much of that left in the world."

"I know. That's why it's so important for me to keep on keepin' on." He nodded his agreement before he stood.

"You are right, Doodlebug, you are very very right."

Beth groaned as she washed up for dinner. Her arms were sore, she was tired, but she was so elated. True to his word her daddy had talked to Rick about training the lot of them to defend themselves. Everyday for the past few months she'd woken up early and trained, first on how to use a gun properly, and now she was working with a knife. It was clear she needed to build more muscle, but never as clear to her as when she came home aching and dirty from training. She wasn't even really fighting or taking down walkers, just practicing on things here and there, but she still came back aching and sore every day. It was so sad, but she was glad for the training.

Rick and Glenn both said she was coming along and pretty soon would be able to handle herself out there. She knew they were lying and just trying to be nice, but she appreciated it all the same. Daryl, never said much, but today as she'd walked away he'd mumbled out a "Doin' good, girl." and she'd just about broke her face with how big her smile was. Praise from Rick, Glenn, and even her daddy, was common, but to hear the ever silent Daryl mumble a word or two of praise really must have meant she was doing something right.

She washed the last of the sweat and grime from her arms and face before she dried off and made her way to the kitchen. Lori was there, peeling the last few potatoes they'd gathered from the garden, her tummy just starting to show signs of the growing baby inside. "Hello, Beth." Lori chimed. "How was training? I hear you're really comin' into your own." Beth beamed at her.

"I'm tryin'. Daddy and Rick both say I'm doing a great job, but Maggie still thinks I'm more likely to stab myself than any walkers I come across." Beth shrugged at the thought of her sister. "I just gotta keep workin' at it." Beth joined her at the sink to finish peeling the potatoes so they could start making dinner. Beth watched Lori as she worked and smiled. Since Sophia's funeral she and Lori had become quite close, laughing and talking. Lori was one of the biggest sources of her confidence when they first began this whole training situation. When they'd begun working with the guns, Lori had insisted she learn how to shoot as well, and was honestly only a touch better at it than Beth herself. They'd both laughed (because what else could you do really) when they'd started at how utterly horrible they were at shooting a target. Together they'd grown and gotten stronger until Rick had declared he didn't want Lori working with blades and hand to hand combat given her 'delicate' state. Lori had snorted and torn off in a mad fury, but ultimately he had been right and Lori had taken up the household duties that Beth was doing when they'd first arrived.

"Daryl says you've gotten stronger." Lori mentioned casually and Beth's heart hammered a little faster in her chest at the idea that she impressed someone enough that they'd praise her when she wasn't even around.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Lori nodded, "To get a compliment from him is like moving the heavens themselves, so you must be doin' something right." Beth laughed.

"Well, I haven't stabbed myself or anyone else...so I guess that's progress right?" Lori shook her head and nudged her elbow gently.

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

"No, she doesn't." Rick added as he moved into the kitchen. Beth looked down into the sink, fumbling with the slippery potato in her hand. It wasn't that Rick made her nervous or uncomfortable, but since Beth had decided she didn't need to be worrying about her colors anymore, her interest and attention to Rick had dropped off drastically. It had even prompted him to ask her if everything was alright or if he'd done something to upset her. After putting his fears to rest and assuring him there was nothing wrong, he'd taken her change in attention in stride and just assumed that now that Carl was awake and moving around, and given all the time she spent training, she was just too busy to pay him any attention anymore, which was perfectly fine.

"Oh, hush you two." Beth mumbled with a soft laugh. She scooped up the potatoes and started cutting them up to boil for dinner. "You just notice how much I've grown because I was so helpless beforehand."

"Just because you know how to shoot and hold a knife without cutting yourself doesn't make you any less helpless than before." Maggie's harsh voice cut in. "When it comes to fighting real walkers you still have no clue. This whole thing is just a waste of time." Beth rounded on her sister, fury burning in her veins and causing her to see red. She wanted to open up and give her sister a good what for, but bit her cheek and kept it to herself. Her blue eyes landed on Daryl silently leaning against the doorframe behind her sister, quietly surveying the room.

"Now, Maggie, knowing the basics will help if she ever comes up on a walker." Rick countered, "She is at least a little more prepared now." Maggie gave a snort and Beth shoved past her. She was done trying to prove herself to her sister for today. She didn't think anything she did, short of taking down an entire herd of walkers, would change her sister's mind, and she wasn't going to listen to her sister's harsh remarks anymore. She heard Lori call after her, but kept walking, shoving open the squeaky screen door and stomping down the porch into the field. She stomped her way into the nature until she was securely in the forest and let out a frustrated scream.

Taking a few calming breaths she stared around her at the forest, soaking in all her secret colors. When she was training and busy with household chores she could almost forget her world was spilling over with vibrant colors that tickled her brain and made her stare in wonder. Almost. When she had a free minute, she'd taken to hiding in different parts of the forest, just staring, examining, and soaking in all the colors that she loved. She loved the greens of the kudzu leaves, the browns of the trees, the golden colors of the dead leaves underfoot, the pinks and yellows of the natural wild flowers around her. It was when she was alone, and it was quiet, that she was truly able to take in the beauty of the colors around her. Sometimes she'd spend many moments stroking the leaves as if to make sure it wasn't a sort of paint that could be removed. When the green stayed in place a bright smile would take over her face and she'd move on to marvel at the next piece of nature.

Her favorite thing, which was the hardest to explain, was watching the sunset. All the reds, pinks, and oranges that slowly faded into the purples and blacks of night. Glenn had caught her one time and asked her if she was trying to go blind staring at the sun like that. She laughed and teased him, claiming she was trying to see who would win a staring contest, her or the sun. Glenn had laughed and ruffled her hair before telling her to be careful or the sun would melt her brain. She'd nodded before following him inside for dinner.

Beth sighed as she touched a kudzu leaf growing on a nearby tree. She smiled to herself. Watching her colors always calmed her down and made her feel better. Suddenly a twig snapped behind her. She whirled around, grabbing the knife from her belt and held it poised above her head to face the person sneaking up behind her.

She stared at Daryl as he stood there, a single hand up, the other poised on his crossbow, more out of habit than actual intent to use it. "Jesus, girl, what are you doin' sneakin' off to the middle of the forest. You tryin' to get yourself killed?" He narrowed his eyes at her as he watched her put her blade away.

"No, I was lookin' at the trees and leaves. Takin' in the colors." She said without a thinking.

"What?" Daryl watched her as her eyes snapped up to him and she paled. Did she really just say she was seeing colors?


	10. Chapter 10

Sorry about the formatting issue this morning. I *hate* uploading to ff because EVERY time I upload something it does that. Anyway...I hope this helps and that you can read it now! Enjoy!

"You what?" Daryl hissed narrowing his eyes.

"I-I mean. I'm imagining what colors might look like." She faltered. "My daddy used to tell me all about them when my mama was alive." She took a tentative step back, away from him. The look on his face read like thunder and Beth was scared she'd just dug herself a hole she couldn't get out of.

Daryl's heart hammered back to life in his chest as the knot in his stomach loosened. The second this little slip of a girl had mentioned colors Daryl's heart had stopped and his stomach had dropped to the floor. It would be his luck to get stuck with a girl who was more than likely going to get him dead than anything else. Hearing that she was only imagining helped to ease the fear and tension in his gut. Daryl stared at her for a moment longer, just studying her. He'd never really allowed himself a moment to do that; shouldn't really be doing it now either if he was completely honest.

She was young. Really young. Blonde hair that shone like sunshine and blue eyes that were way too innocent and made his stomach tighten uncomfortably. She was way too sheltered, and it was going to get her killed. Daryl felt a moment of sadness touch him at that thought, but brushed it off. Lots of people die in this world, he'd do his best to see her trained properly, but after that it wasn't his problem. His eyes watched as she nervously fidgeted with the pocket of her pants and for a fleeting moment he recognized how she could be considered pretty; by younger guys. He corrected. Guys her own age. He clarified in his mind. Definitely not him. "Y'really shouldn't be out here." She gave a quick nod before taking a hesitant step forward while tucking her knife away. "Go'on." With that she scurried away. Daryl stood for a moment, trying to clear his mind.

His eyes scanned the area and he resisted the urge to smile. If she could see color, this definitely would be a good place to come. His eyes scanned over the greens and browns. Yeah, this definitely would have been the spot.

Beth wiped her brow as she scrubbed the dishes. Her eyes watched as people milled around the yard. She saw Daryl talking to Rick down by the barn and her heart thumped a little faster. Ever since her little slip up in the woods, three days ago, she'd been avoiding being around Daryl. It wasn't that she liked him...heavens no. He just made her feel so off kilter. He seemed to keep to himself, and study. That was something new.

No one ever studied to make their own conclusion. At least not when it came to her. Everyone always assumed that she was helpless, and in need of protecting. He didn't seem that way. He was keen on coming to his own conclusion. And that's what made her nervous. He could possibly be the only one on this whole farm that would see her; truly see her. And she didn't want to mess that up...if she hadn't already.

She watched as her daddy approached the duo, sharing a few words before Daryl gave a few short, curt nods and stooped to pick up his crossbow and headed out into the woods. No doubt they were discussing the food stores. While the farm was getting by on the crops that daddy had planted, all the extra mouths were making those food supplies dip mighty low. They were going to have to go out for a hunt; see if there wasn't some game they could flush out to help stretch the food a bit longer. Beth sighed. She could make something like spaghetti tonight. The pasta would feed a lot of mouths on a smaller supply. She could toss in a few of the tomatoes from the garden to help stretch the sauce. That might buy their little group some time until a proper hunt to help find more food.

"Afternoon, boys." Hershel said as he neared Rick and Daryl. Both men tipped their heads. "I got kind of an odd request. Our food stores are running a touch low," he hedged carefully, "I've been tryin' to stretch the crops we got so far, but I'm afraid it ain't much without some protein." Both men nodded. "We got some livestock animals, but if we sacrifice one, there's no tellin' how that will hurt us in the long run."

"Say no more, Hershel." Rick offered. "I'm sure we can find somethin' in the forest." Hershel brightened as Daryl stooped to scoop up his crossbow.

"That would be mighty fine of you sirs." Hershel nodded. "It'd be a nice surprise for Bethy what with her birthday comin' up." Daryl paused as he turned to leave the group.

"Beth's birthday is coming up?" Rick's voice rose in surprise.

"Yes sir. Day after next." Hershel shoved his hands in his pockets gently. "We don't do much for it, considering. But it'd be nice to have a full meal available. Kind of a celebration of sorts." Rick nodded and cast his eyes to Daryl who gave a low grunt before moving off towards the perimeter fence and the forest.

Daryl thought as he quietly moved through the green and brown underbrush. She may be a small, slip of a girl, who was woefully unprepared for the world she lived in, but that didn't mean she didn't deserve to have a decent meal on her birthday. Hell, it might help put some meat and muscle on her frame so she could get stronger. He gave a snort.

He needed to find some game for the group anyway. Having Beth's birthday was just an extra excuse to get out here and hunt. It wasn't like he liked the girl. No...definitely not.

Beth groaned as she peeled her shirt up over her head. She'd had a hard day today. She'd woken bright and early intending to train before her chores, but Daryl was nowhere to be seen. She'd had to settle with doing some extra mucking in the barn, and plowing some of the fallow fields to get ready for their late summer crops that needed to go down. She'd worked clear through the day and felt about ready to drop, but she couldn't she still needed to get down there and make dinner for everyone. She sighed as she swiped the cool damp rag along her neck and dropped it back into the sink. She'd give herself a better clean up after dinner, once everyone had settled for the night.

Without a second thought she pulled another shirt over her head and turned to leave the bathroom. Quickly she made her way downstairs only to stop dead in her tracks when she saw everyone piled in the kitchen around a dinner that was already made and smiling up at her.

"Happy birthday Beth!" Lori called, followed by Maggie, Hershel, Rick and most of the rest of their group. A bright smile lit up her face as she stared at everyone. Rick came up and slung an arm around her giving her a gentle hug.

"We know it ain't much, but we put together a little something for dinner." Rick swept his hand over the table that was just covered with food. Beth let out a small gasp.

"Oh my goodness." She breathed staring over the meal. There were carrots, potatoes, green beans (canned of course), and rabbit.

"Snared us a couple a rabbits. Figured we could enjoy some today and then store the rest. Use them for different meals." Beth's eye shot up to Daryl and she smiled.

"That was very smart of you Daryl." She breathed. "We can make jerky and maybe make some soups from the bones." She offered. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling at the adorable shade of red his cheeks started to turn at her praise. The fact that he - that anyone - had gone to so much trouble for her was astounding. "My word." She shook her head. "Thank you everyone. This is so amazing." She looked around at everyone one more time. "Let's eat. I can't wait any longer." She was met with a round of cheers as everyone milled around to start the festivities.

Daryl stood back, hunched against the wall, watching everyone. He hadn't seen their little group this happy in a long while. Who'd have guessed that all it took was a few measly rabbits to put everyone in high spirits. His eyes darted to Maggie who was laughing with Beth at one end of the table. He noticed Glenn hovering a touch too close to Maggie, but for some reason couldn't find it in him to be bothered. He didn't have a swell of emotion within him like he would have thought he should if another man was sitting a little too close to his soul mate. Not like the swell of pride he'd gotten when Beth had paid him that compliment about the rabbits. If he was that way with a nobody, shouldn't he have stronger feelings with his soul mate? Trust the Dixon gene to be so fucked up that even this soulmate shit didn't work correctly.

He let out a sigh. It would just figure.

Beth smiled and sighed as she splashed cool water on her skin. Tonight had been amazing. So much fun and so much food. They hadn't eaten that well on the farm in a long time, and it was nice to have one night where everyone was free to laugh and eat until they had to be rolled away from the table.

Gingerly she cleaned herself, scrubbing away the day's grime and smells. She felt like a whole new person. It was amazing what a good meal and a night of laughing could do for a person, mind, body, and soul.

Beth tugged on a tank top, ready to climb into bed and sleep like the dead. She froze as sounds ricocheted off the walls from the windows as from inside the house. Her blood ran cold. Those were walkers. Lots of walkers. And they were close. She jumped as someone pounded on the door to the bathroom before flinging it wide. Her frightened eyes landed on Daryl as he surveyed her. He reached out, grabbing her wrist before tugging her out of the bathroom.

"C'mon girl. We gotta move."

"Daryl, what's goin' on?" She cried as she heard gun fire from outside and the shouts of their group members.

"Walkers." He responded as he pulled her downstairs. "A lot of them." Her eyes widened. "We can't stay here."

"What?" He all but dragged her through the front door and the sounds seemed to become deafening. She froze on the spot at the bottom of the stairs to the porch. The sheer amount of walkers pouring in from the fences. Her eyes jumped from the walkers to the members of their group spraying them with bullets in a feeble attempt to hold them back.

"Move Greene!" Daryl yanked on her arm, spurring her into action. He flung her towards a motorcycle before climbing on himself and kicking it on. He felt Beth climb on behind him. Her arms circled around him and he spurred the bike onward into the night.


	11. Chapter 11

Beth crept through the prison compound on silent feet. She couldn't sleep and just needed some fresh air. Escaping to the yard for a moment seemed like the best solution given it was the only place that open area and still secured by the fence. She still marveled that they'd even found this place. It had been rough going once the farm had "fallen." It had taken them a good five months to find this place, and then another month to completely clean a cell block to the point where they could make it habitable. It was still surprising they hadn't found any humans inside, but once one person had become a walker, it was just a matter of time.

Their group had worked non-stop to clear a cell-block, the showers, and the mess hall so that they could carve out a little nook to start life again. Beth had been livid through most of the process. She'd been relegated to tending camp and looking after a very-pregnant Lori. No one trusted her to be able take down a fly, much less a walker, and Beth hadn't been able to argue her way around it. Of course, Maggie was in the lead on that argument, so Beth honestly had no way of winning.

"What are doin' out here?" Beth froze as she rounded the corner of the compound. She could hear the walkers milling around the fenced perimeter now that she was outside. The sticky air of early fall felt good against her skin, but Beth couldn't quite enjoy it as her eyes landed on Rick and Daryl making their way towards her. "Everything ok inside?" She let out a pent up breath as her eyes landed on Rick who came to a stop right in front of her.

"Yeah." She gently stuffed her hands into her pockets to keep from fidgeting. "Just wanted to get some fresh air." She offered with a shrug. "Can't sleep…" Daryl stood behind Rick watching; always watching. Even in the six months to find the prison he'd done little more than grunt at her in passing. When they'd been at the farm it felt like he was starting to think maybe she could be taught to hold her own. Now...it felt like he couldn't be bothered to even stand near her.

"Y'shouldn't be out here." He grumbled, never taking his eyes away from the fence line. She grit her teeth but nodded.

"Figured this was better than outside the fence." She retorted rolling her eyes and turning away from him. Daryl's eyes darted to her quickly, his pulse rising at the thought of her being outside the fence.

During the fall of the farm Daryl had been faced with some perterbing thoughts and feelings. Seeing the stark fear and panic on Beth's face as everyone fought the herd to get away had made his insides twist and go cold. He was flooded with images of her getting caught, getting hurt, dying and he'd nearly taken a knee at the fear that had choked him. Getting her on that motorcycle had been priority number one. He may not have been able to do much to save her home, but he'd be damned if he let her fall in the process.

When the group had reconnected Daryl had watched as family wrapped each other in comforting embraces and for the first time he watched Beth fall apart. It affected him in a way he still couldn't quite understand and absolutely refused to analyze. After seeing her so emotional, he understood the sister's (damn...what was her name again? Maggie.) need to protect Beth. She was so small and fragile and her whole illusion of safety and normalcy had just come crashing down around her. She was still so sheltered; so innocent. She was still so much a child, even at the age of seventeen. She didn't need to be trained, she needed to be protected. There was so much death, and dark, and decay in this world, protecting the little bit of light and innocence Beth brought along with her was a necessity.

During the search for new camp Daryl had avoided the little blond like the plague. He knew she'd want to continue learning, and he just didn't have it in him to argue with her. He let Maggie do it for him. For once, it seemed, he and his soulmate were on the same page with regards to her little sister.

"Now Beth-" Rick's voice pulled him back to the present and he watched her as her shoulders seemed to sag.

"I was just bein' sarcastic. I wouldn't go outside the fence." She said on a sigh. Really, honestly, did they think she was stupid? She knew better than that. "Honest, I couldn't sleep and figured a walk around would help tire me out. I wasn't up to anything." Rick pinned her with a stern glare. "I won't go near the fence." She held up her hands in surrender.

"Your daddy would want you back inside where it's safe." Daryl rumbled. Her blue eyes darted to him and even in the silver light of the moon he could see the daggers she was shooting at him.

"My daddy also wanted me to grow up and old on the farm. Last time I checked that ain't gonna happen either." She snarked at him, propping her hands on her hips.

"Now, Beth-" Rick started.

"I know. I know." She huffed. "It's just a precaution to keep me safe. But you know, if someone trained me y'all wouldn't have to worry about me taking a night stroll." She reasoned. "Besides, I'm inside the compound. What's the worse that can happen? I trip on my own shoelace and skin my knee?" Daryl wanted to agree with her, but he'd be damned if he said a word towards putting her anywhere near a dangerous situation, no matter how unlikely.

"True, but it ain't like the fence is fortified. Enough of them walkers and it could come down on us." Rick answered before turning to Daryl. "Stick with her? I'll continue to check the perimeter. We can meet up after." Daryl gave a grunt before watching Rick walk off to double check the perimeter security. While their new hold-up had been a fortified prison back in the day, the fence was in need of repair in certain areas, and the whole back half of the building was destroyed. They'd had to blockade certain parts of the prison to keep walkers out of their little cellblock home. To keep everything protected and up-kept, Rick and Daryl had taken to walking the perimeter during the night.

Beth rolled her eyes and started her march towards the open area in the middle of the quad. She stopped at the edge of the grass and just stared for a moment. She started when she heard Daryl clear his throat and looked over at him.

"You gonna keep walkin' or are you tired now?" She rolled her eyes again.

"Neither." She grinned at him. "I like to come out here and imagine." She noticed that he quirked an eyebrow at her. "I'm a farmer's daughter at heart I guess." She felt her insides start to twist. So far she hadn't told a soul about her vision for this part of the yard. "Sorry. It's nothin', just the stupid plans of a silly girl." She tried to play it off like it wasn't a big deal to her. He was silent for so long she chanced a glance at him. When she was met with an expectant look and cast her eyes back to the plot of grass.

"Well?"

"Well…" she took a deep breath, "realistically we don't want to have to be on the run all the time. 'Specially not with Lori so close to giving birth. So I figure, we wanna hunker down and make this place a home, a place we can call our own for a while." She saw him nod. "Well, when we were on the farm it was easier because we had all of daddy's crops and fruit trees on the property, so even when protein was low we still had food to put in our stomachs. Here, it ain't so easy. There's a lot of us, and once Lori has the baby, and we all settle in, there will be more mouths to feed, but no real way to feed 'em." He gave another nod. "Well, I wanna cultivate this plot of the yard." She heard him snort. "No, hear me out." She challenged when she could tell he was about to agree that this was indeed a stupid idea. "This is the best place to do it. We dig up the grass and plant right into the soil underneath. While everyone is makin' runs for food and scavenging, we can plant seeds to start a little garden to help get this place to be self-sustaining."

"And why is this the best place to do it?"

"I've been watching the grounds since we found this place." She grinned at him again. "This is the only section of the yard that doesn't get covered by shade from either the building or the surrounding trees. It's also at the bottom of the slope so any water runoff from rain can help water it, and we could even build a water catch to help water the garden and get us through the summers."

"So you're expectin' people to just drop what they're doin' and scoop up little packets of seeds from the garden department so you can build your little garden?" He knew he was being unfair and gruff. He knew he was tearing down this idea for no good reason other than he didn't want anyone to get their hopes up only to have them ripped to shreds if they lost this place.

"No!" She sassed right back. "All it takes is one tomato from an overgrown garden nearby and we have tomato plants. A potato with some eyes can be buried to grow more potatoes. Same with peppers, wild berries, lettuce; you name it." She looked up at him. "And it don't have to be all at once, and it don't have to be just veggies and fruit. My daddy's farm ain't the only farm around here that was overrun or went fallow since the world went to shit." She paused and then took a deep breath, letting it out real slow. "Like I said, stupid plans of a silly farmer's daughter I guess." She shook her head and turned on her heel, "I wouldn't expect anyone to take it seriously, especially not you." She mumbled as she marched her way up the grounds and back towards the cellblock. No, she didn't expect anyone to take it seriously, much less agree with it, that was why she hadn't breathed a word about her idea to anyone else. She didn't know why she told Daryl of all people. Next to Maggie he was the biggest proponent of the 'Beth is a delicate flower' movement.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw him still standing by the plot of grass where she'd left him. When they'd been on the farm she thought he'd be the one person to really see who she was; who she could become. Now...he was just like the rest of them. And it was a damn shame. She shook her head and made her way inside to her cell so she could try to get some sleep for the night.

Daryl stood by the plot of grass, trying to see the vision she painted in his mind's eye. It was a lofty goal to try to cultivate this area, but he could tell she'd really sunk some time and effort into her plans, and, truth be told, it would make this place a helluvalot easier to survive in. They were barely making it. Even Lori, who was pregnant, was showing ribs in a fashion no healthy human being should, and she was being given double portions. He heard her close the heavy metal door as she made her way inside and turned to go find Rick. He still needed to finish checking to make sure everything was secure for the night.

Rick, Daryl, Carol, Hershel, and Glenn all sat together around the table. It wasn't much, but together they'd formed a council to help make decisions for their group.

"We need food, Rick." Carol said sternly. "We're not gonna make it if we don't do something to feed ourselves. Lori is dangerously thin, and if she doesn't put on some weight, she might not make it through delivery." Rick gave a grave nod.

"We can send some scouts out for a run, but we're not gonna find much canned food around. We've already scavenged what we could." Rick rubbed his chin in thought. "Daryl you think you can find some game in the forest?" Daryl gave slight shrug.

"I can try. I got some traps set, but they aren't a sure thing."

"I know, but…"

"There may be a solution." Daryl hedged slowly. "It ain't gonna fix the situation right away, but it's more of a long-term solution." Everyone turned to look at him.

"Like what, son?" Hershel asked.

"Well, actually, hold on a second. It ain't my idea." He stood and turned, "I'll be right back." With that he left the room. Daryl found Beth laying in her bunk in her cell, writing in a notebook that had been brought back for her on one of their runs for food. "Got a sec?" She looked up at him with a question in her eyes. "Just...c'mon." She got up and followed him.

Beth entered the room where everyone on the council was sitting and instantly felt butterflies in her tummy. "Tell 'em." Daryl said as he sat back down at the table.

"Tell us what?" Hershel asked, looking between Beth and Daryl. "Bethy?"

"Tell 'em what you told me last night."

"Last night?" Hershel's voice seemed to raise a little. Beth held up her hands.

"It ain't like that daddy. I went into the yard last night." Hershel narrowed his eyes. "I couldn't sleep, so I wanted to get some air. Rick made sure I was safe, and had Daryl stay with me." The butterflies intensified.

"Tell 'em what you told me."

"Oh, but...it's just a stupid fantasy." She insisted and looked around from Daryl everyone else's expectant faces. "Oh…" she sighed. "Since we got here I've been thinkin'. The farm was a good place to settle, but it wasn't very secure. This place is a secure, but it ain't a good place to settle. But we could make it one." She could tell they wanted to interrupt but she forged ahead. "On the farm we were able to survive because we had all the crops and fruit trees. Well, I found a spot in the yard that could help us. It gets sun pretty much from sun-up to sun-down. The grass is deep green…" She saw her daddy flinch and realized what she'd said. "Or, what I mean is, it's darker than some of the surrounding areas. So we know it's got good soil. And it's at the bottom of a slope so we can use that to help with watering during wet seasons. We could build a rain catch to help during dry months. The rain catch could also serve to help provide drinking water for us all year round, depending on how much we get during the rains." Her heart thudded quickly in her chest. It sounded like such a long shot. She looked at her daddy, knowing he'd be her best bet for support. "It wouldn't take much to start some small batches of crops. A few tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, whatever we can find in nearby gardens, fallow farms, wild in the forest."

"I don't know, Beth." Carol said cautiously. "We need a right now solution."

"Carol's right. That doesn't help us right now." Rick supplied slowly.

"But it's a long-term solution that could help us avoid starving come winter." Daryl replied. Beth jerked to look at him in surprise. "We can't keep relying on a right now solution because we'll never focus on a long-term one. There will always be a need for a right now solution." Carol opened her mouth to reply.

"We already need to send out scouts for a supply run," Hershel started, "it wouldn't be much trouble to scout some of the local garden or markets for seeds or plants that can be planted. Bethy, Maggie, and I know what to look for and how to make it into a viable crop." He looked at his fellow council members in ernest. "They're right. We gotta start lookin' long-term to ensure our survival, even if it's just through the winter. We'll have to live thin for a while longer, but I think it'll pay off. I think we could really make it work." Beth watched as Rick struggled before looking to Carol and Glenn.

"Maggie and I could go scout out a couple of the farms nearby." Glenn weighed in. "If anything, trying isn't going to put us in any worse shape than we currently are. We already need food, trying to salvage some from gardens will help us either way."

"We still need food right now." Carol argued.

"And we can send out another set of scouts to loot cans and wild edibles to get us by." Hershel replied. "We got enough people to be able to send out two sets with similar objectives." Carol frowned.

"I think our top priority should be feedin' us right now, but you are right. We do need to start focusing on a long term." She sighed. "How do we feel about trying to clear the kitchen to see what kind of bulk can items we may have available?"

"We should do that before we send out scavengers. That way we know how dire our need really is, and if we can spare any people at all to go." Rick answered. "It's goin' to be dangerous to clear the kitchen, but ultimately it will help make this place more viable for us." He nodded. "We'll take it to the group." Everyone nodded in agreement and then turned to look at Beth. "Thank you Beth." She smiled and watched as everyone left. She turned to look at Daryl who was still quietly standing next to her.

"Thank you Daryl." He gave a shrug.

"Don't thank me. It was your idea."

"Still...not many people would have believed in a silly little farm girl." He felt his ears go hot and hoped to God they weren't turning red. "It means a lot."

"It was a good idea," he turned to leave the room, "and you ain't just a silly little farm girl."


	12. Chapter 12

"What do you mean I need to hang back and protect home base?" Beth screeched from the middle of the corridor of their cellblock.

"You gotta stay here and protect this area. If something happens and walkers get back here, we're counting on you to keep Lori and Carl safe." Maggie reasoned. Beth was seeing red (metaphorically).

"That's just bullshit." She spat.

"Language Beth!" Maggie scolded.

"You want me to stay back here because you know no walkers _will_ get this far back. You don't think I can handle it." Maggie crossed her arms in front of her and gave Beth a stern look.

"I want you safe. That's all." Maggie looked at the very pregnant Lori sitting on the steps at the end of the cellblock. "Between the three of you, you are the most capable. If something _does_ get back here...we need someone besides Lori and Carl to protect this area."

"But…" Beth's eyes jumped to the haggard group behind her sister and she tried to make eye contact with someone, but so far everyone was steadfastly refusing. "Daddy, please…" She moved around Maggie. "I can help. I can do this."

"Bethy, sweetheart. Look at Lori," he replied beseechingly, "eight months pregnant, almost full term, and if something gets back here she's got to rely on her son to protect her. It's a rock and a hard place of a situation…"

"I can do this." Beth reaffirmed.

"Beth, do not make me lock you inside a cell. This is a prison, and I can do it." Maggie growled behind her. Beth rounded on her ready to lay into her when she felt two hands settle on her shoulders. Beth turned again, her eyes landing on the grimey faded brown shirt of Rick's sheriff uniform.

"Beth…" He started, his green eyes boring into hers. "I need you. I need you to protect my wife and unborn child. I need you to protect my son. _I_ need you to do this for me. I won't be able to go out there and do what I need to do safely if I'm worrying about them back here. Please, can you do this for me?" She wanted to argue, but knew, as she felt her stomach drop, that she couldn't do it.

"I...I need a weapon at least." She offered weakly. She was startled when Daryl walked up and handed her a knife in its sheath.

"Keep this." He mumbled as she clasped the knife in her hands. She tucked it into the waistband of her pants and watched silently as the rest of the group turned and walked out. She huffed a sigh and moved to sit next to Lori on the stairs. Lori watched her with careful eyes.

"I'm sorry." Lori said softly.

"It's not-"

"I know. I also know you feel like you gotta prove yourself, and no one gives you the chance." She smiled sadly. "It's a special kind of helpless when no one will look at you twice." Beth remained silent, listening. "I know it seems hopeless, like it'll never come, but you will get your chance to prove yourself. Maybe not to everyone, but you'll show them you are tough and can do what needs to be done." Beth smiled softly and glanced up to Lori.

"Maybe." She started but froze when Lori let out a gasp. Lori grabbed Beth's hand and placed it to her swollen belly. Beth marveled at the rolling and movement coming from underneath. "It still amazes me, every time." She sighed a little. "I can't wait to meet this little one."

"Won't be long." Lori said absently. "The more active he gets the more convinced I am he's going to come early."

"He?"

"Carl was just as active." She supplied. "Of course I'm only guessing. Won't really know until they come out." Beth giggled and nodded before drawing her hand back into her lap.

"How was your first birth?" Beth asked.

"It was tough. I couldn't deliver naturally. I started hemorrhaging and they had to rush me into emergency surgery. Carl was born twenty minutes later." She smiled, "He was healthy and happy. That was all I could have asked for."

Beth sat troubled. Lori had a difficult birth the first time. If she went into labor they'd need her daddy to help with a second c-section. Beth would be completely unprepared and might lose not just the baby, but Lori as well. She sent up a silent prayer asking for Lori to wait until the group came back. It was her best chance.

Daryl gripped the edge of the crossbow as he walked through the quiet corridor. They weren't to the dangerous section yet, but it never hurt to be too careful. His eyes scanned over their little group. Hershel, Rick, Maggie, Glenn, Carol and him. Everyone had been decided to go. Everyone except Beth that was. She'd been forced to stay behind and guard Lori.

Daryl still marveled at the anger she'd been filled with when Maggie had told her she had to stay behind. No one had been able to calm her, except for Rick. Rick had been able to move in their and smooth talk the situation like she wasn't being targeted for being one of the weakest links in their group. No one said it (well, Maggie said it all the damn time but for some reason she didn't count) but everyone knew that Beth was in a dire need of training but would most likely hurt herself before learning anything.

Daryl tended to disagree. He knew she could learn, but he'd be damned if he'd be the one to sully her light with the training and danger of it all. She didn't need all that on her. So, Daryl had stood by, silent, while she'd begged, and pleaded, and begged some more to be trained. Daryl had stood by silent as she'd thundered and raged (you couldn't really call it that, to be honest) every time someone went out to clear the perimeter and told her not to leave her cell. He'd stood by silently as it seemed like her little spirit was being broken and she was accepting her fate. It ate at him, chewed him raw, to see, and he couldn't stomach when they'd all stood there and she'd seemed so desperate to prove herself and protect Lori (after she'd accepted the fact that she was going to be left behind regardless of if she wanted to or not.) She was right. She needed a weapon if she was going to be successful at all in her 'mission.' He'd gotten some of the darkest glares from Maggie when he'd pressed that knife into Beth's hands, but he hadn't cared.

It was a funny thing; to understand why your soulmate was a certain way, but to disagree with it. It was just his luck to spend so much damn time around his soulmate only to watch her spend more time with someone else (she and Glenn were getting awfully close). It was just his luck to spend so much time around his soulmate only to find he really disagreed with a lot of what she did or thought. Hell, he was a Dixon afterall. Honestly, it was just Dixon luck for all of that.

Knowing Dixon luck, his colors would arrive and he wouldn't really have a soulmate at all. The longer he spent around their little farm family additions, that was exactly what he thought was going on. Had to be. His Dixon luck had caused him to be broken; with colors and without a soulmate to share them with. It was a special kind of hell. All the colors that your mind can't even imagine and no one to talk about or understand them with. The only positive was now he didn't have to worry about keeping anyone alive because of sentimental reasons. He didn't have to get attached.

He could focus on keeping everyone alive, no matter how angry they were at getting left behind.

"Alright," Rick said softly, trying to keep his voice down. Just beyond the barred door in front of them was the hall to the kitchens. They needed to be tactical about this. Nice and quiet until they were in position. "I'm gonna unbar the door, and fire off a round. That'll draw them over this way, but they'll be funneled through this door. Hopefully we can take the majority of them out in smaller numbers before we have to move past this point to the kitchens." His eyes scanned their group. "Any questions?" Daryl gripped his crossbow and shook his head in the negative. Rick gave a nod. "Alright, everyone take your positions."

Beth was sitting in her cell writing in her little notebook when she heard Lori begin pacing the cellblock. She closed her notebook and stood to lean against her open door and watch. "You gettin' restless?" She asked and watched Lori stroke her belly as she moved.

"Yeah...must be it." Lori agreed distractedly. Beth frowned.

"You alright?" She walked to Lori's side as Lori gripped the hand railing and began breathing.

"Yeah. Just weak...think I need to eat something…" Beth could tell she was lying.

"Lori…" Lori's eyes landed on Beth and the fear was palpable.

"Beth…" She breathed, "I think the baby is coming."

Daryl wiped the grime from his hands. Killing the walkers as they'd funneled through the door had been a good idea, but difficult to execute. Getting into the kitchen had been even harder, but they'd managed. There was a stock of cans they could use to help tide everyone over until their garden was up and functioning. He pulled the backpack and bag from around his neck and flung them over to Maggie as she started shoving the cans in. "Looks like we got some peaches, corn, beans, cans of chicken, and a large bag of rice down here." Maggie said as she shoved things into the bag. "We won't be able to take it all right now. We'll have to come back in a few trips to get everything. Trying to secure this section would mean cleaning another cell block. Right now, it just ain't worth it." They all nodded.

"We can plan another smaller run after we get back. Just grab what you can carry and we'll make our way back." Rick supplied as she stuffed another bag full of cans. Daryl gave a grunt as he kept an eye out down the hallway for more walkers coming. So far, so clear.

"That's all I can carry," Glenn offered. Maggie made an agreeing noise. Grunts were heard through area before Rick made the signal for everyone to head back. Daryl tried his best to bar the door once everyone was out so that no walkers would get in, but there wasn't much he could do to really secure the room.

He barred the door once everyone back through the safe zone and continued down the hallway back towards their cell block. When everyone entered it was deathly quiet, with an air that put everyone on edge.

"Beth? Lori?" Rick called out as he walked to the center of the cell block.

"Dad!" Carl cried out from inside his locked cell. Rick rushed over. "It's mom...the baby is coming." Rick's eyes widened and he stood rushing to the end of cell block but stopped halfway down the hall and froze. He heard footsteps behind him but just watched.

The fear in Rick's voice pushed Daryl into action, moving before he knew what was happening. He froze next to Rick as the sound hit his ears before the picture met his eyes.

Beth stumbled down the hallway, tears blurring her eyes as she walked. She cradled a bloodied sweatshirt to her, not caring of the blood spattered across her front and dripping down her arms. Her eyes landed on everyone's faces as she rounded the corner and she froze just staring at everyone. A choked sob escaped her throat before she collapsed to her knees, clutching the bundle closer to her as it started wailing.

Her blue eyes darted up as she heard someone step close to her and she locked eyes with Daryl. It was half a breathe that she could hold his gaze before she broke and the baby's wails were joined by her own.


End file.
